


Feel It All Around

by RainbowDonkeys



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Some bullying, an old fic im reposting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:13:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 66,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25975744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowDonkeys/pseuds/RainbowDonkeys
Summary: When a power plant nearby a small suburb suddenly explodes, it gives the local adolescents the ability to sense their soulmate. That's when things get a little messy.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai, Huang Zi Tao | Z.Tao/Oh Sehun, Kim Jongdae | Chen/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Kim Minseok | Xiumin/Lu Han
Comments: 61
Kudos: 103





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "How do you know she's your 'soulmate' or whatever?" Chanyeol asked his friend condescendingly. The rest of the football team laughed along with Chanyeol, their unspoken leader. 
> 
> "I just know, man. Everytime I touch her, a spark runs from where we touched all over my whole body. When we kiss, I have to sit down afterward because it's so intense. I have to be around her as much as I can or else my heart physically aches for her. I'm pulled to her in every way. She's always on my mind. The thought of hurting her feelings makes me wanna vomit." 
> 
> "Sounds ridiculous," Chanyeol responded. 
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> Hello! So this is a fic I wrote like...two and a half years ago? so, a while ago. i posted it on my aff page and it was pretty well received. i still think it's pretty good and i want to start writing exo again so im starting by posting this! (yes i want more attention lol anyways) i hope you all enjoy!

It was the most average Thursday morning, and it was Jongdae's turn to drive his little group of friends to school that day. He pulled up in front of Baekhyun's home first (since he lived the closest). 

"Hey!" Baekhyun spoke in a voice too cheerful for 7:30 am. 

"Sup," Jongdae answered, revving the engine of his mom's car. 

"Not much, just basking in the 'I got the lead in the winter play even though I'm only a junior' glow." Jongdae rolled his eyes. Baekhyun may be one of his best friends, but he's also an overconfident theatre kid. If they hadn't been friends since preschool, they probably wouldn't even speak to each other now. 

"Good for you," Jongdae responded as sarcastically as he possibly could and drove towards Kyungsoo's house. 

"How are the babies getting home today?" Baekhyun asked Jongdae. Their group consisted of two juniors who could drive, Jongdae and Baekhyun, and two sophomores who could not, Kyungsoo and Joonmyeon. Even though they were only one year apart, Kyungsoo and Joonmyeon had been called "the babies" since they became friends in the second grade. 

"I thought you knew," Jongdae answered. Baekhyun sighed. 

"Fine, I guess I'll get one of my drama friends to drive them. But Joonmyeon lives out of the way." Just then, Jongdae stopped outside Kyungsoo's house. The small sophomore got in the backseat behind Jongdae, as usual. 

"Guess who got the lead in the winter play?" Baekhyun said smugly and loudly. 

"Well, I wonder who," Kyungsoo responded sarcastically. Baekhyun pouted. 

"You guys are never excited for me!" He whined. 

"But Baek, you always get the lead. You've been getting the lead since the second grade," Kyungsoo explained. "We don't have the energy to be excited for you any more. You know we always support you though. We go to every goddamn musical."

"That's true. Aw, I love you guys!"

"Love ya too," Kyungsoo and Jongdae responded simoultaneously. 

"Soo, how's the underclassmen dance committee going?" Jongdae asked. Kyungsoo groaned loudly. 

"I don't understand why they had to make the sophomore student body join it. Joonmyeon loves that kind of stuff, but god, it's really not my thing. I'm the treasurer, not the party planner. And other than the student body, the only people on the committee are the football players."

"Not the football players!" Baekhyun said with worry. 

"Yeah, every single dude on the football team who is a freshman or sophomore is on it. It's the worst thing to ever happen to me ever. To be forced to spend more than an hour with those horrible people two days a week is pure hell."

"Fuck the football team," Jongdae said. 

"They're just so awful. I don't know how you stand it." Baekhyun looked down at his lap. 

"Is Chanyeol still picking on you?" Jongdae asked Baekhyun in a gentler voice. 

"Yeah..." Baekhyun sighed. "On Friday him and his team yelled at me on my way home from auditions. They kept calling me a...you know. The f slur." Finally Jongdae stopped outside of Joonmyeon's house. He lived in the rich neighborhood, so it was a bit out of the way to get to his house, but Jongdae and Baekhyun still picked him up for school as long as he promised to drive him around in the fancy car he'll get when he turns sixteen. 

"Hi guys!" Joonmyeon said softly but happily, buckling his seat belt behind Baekhyun. He quickly noticed the frowns on everyone's face in the car. 

"What's wrong?" He asked innocently. 

"Chanyeol," Jongdae said. Joonmyeon frowned too. 

"What did he do this time?" Baekhyun explained what happened. 

"Okay, I swear to god Baekhyun, we can't do anything now but if he ever shoves you into a locker again like he did last year we have a real case on our hands. We can report him to the school and get my parents involved. If my parents are involved, we can get him expelled immediately." 

"He didn't really shove me though. He just kind of backed me into the locker. It was weird; it wasn't really aggressive at all."

"But remember what I said-" Joonmyeon started. 

"You said it looked like he shoved me, and if it looked like he shoved me, then we can say he did."

"Exactly." Baekhyun managed a small smile. 

"Thanks Myeon." 

"Okay in better news, Baekhyun got the lead in the play!" Jongdae cheered. 

"Congrats!" Joonmyeon said excitedly, hugging Baekhyun from the backseat. "I knew you would get it."

"And I'm only a junior," Baekhyun bragged, his mood perking up. 

"I wish I was a junior, then I wouldn't have to be on the stupid dance committee," Kyungsoo complained.

"I like planning dances! I just don't like the football team. Especially all of the freshman idiots, like Jongin and Haechan and Jungkook," Joonmyeon added. 

"At least you guys have extracurrics. I don't have anything to put on my college apps," Jongdae said. 

"Then join a club!" Baekhyun piped up. 

"But I hate everything," Jongdae responded. The boys laughed as Jongdae pulled into the school parking lot. They tiredly dragged their bodies out of the car, shutting the doors with a frown. 

"See you guys at lunch!" Baekhyun called to the others, walking to his first class. The other boys waved goodbye to him for now and went their own separate ways. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It was noontime on the most average Thursday. Zitao was tapping his pencil in the back of his freshman english class, alternating between watching the minutes on the clock tick by and the back of Sehun's head. Suddenly, Sehun turned around to hand him some sort of paper. Zitao was distracted for a moment, noticing Sehun's lips move but not having any idea what they were saying. 

"Sorry, what did you say?" 

"Um. Here's the homework. She said it's due tomorrow," Sehun answered in his soft voice. Zitao melted a little. Suddenly the bell rang, and Sehun jumped up, trying to rush out of the classroom as quickly as he could. 

"See you tomorrow!" Zitao called after him. Sehun ignored him, as usual. 

Zitao left his class to find his older brother, Yifan, already waiting for him. The other freshman leaving the classroom looked at him as if we was going to murder them. Yifan was a senior, standing at six foot two, with a thick leather jacket and an angry expression on his face. 

"What are you doing here dude?"

"We were waiting for you. We're taking the rest of the day off," Yifan answered. Zitao smiled; he loved being included in his brothers friend group, as it meant free rides everywhere and being known as one of the school 'delinquents' to not be messed with. He straightened his own leather jacket and smiled. 

"Cool. Where are Yixing and Minseok?" His friends, Minseok and Yixing, poked their heads out from behind Yifan. Yixing was wearing a tie dye shirt and loose light wash jeans with his usual bloodshot eyes, and Minseok had on his own leather jacket with freshly dyed bright orange hair. Altogether, they looked pretty badass. 

"Alright let's go." The pair walked down the hall, garnering stares. Whether it was because they were so tall or that they looked so rough, they couldn't tell. They would never actually hurt anyone though. They were too lazy for that. 

"Oh shit," Yifan mumbled under his breath. Zitao rolled his eyes as he saw the tiny sophomore his brother was obsessed with walk towards them. 

"Hey," Yifan said to him and winked. The kid blushed and scooted closer to his friend. 

"I'm so sick of that senior guy always teasing me!" Zitao heard him say to his friend. His friend wasn't paying attention though. Instead his eyes were locked with Yixing's. But both of them quickly looked away, and Zitao shrugged it off. 

"You should really be nicer to that kid," Zitao said to his brother. 

"I am nice! I'm just trying to flirt with him," Yifan responded emphatically. 

"I didn't think sophomore-class-president-and-richest-kid-at-this-school Kim Joonmyeon was really your type," Zitao teased. 

"First of all, Joonmyeon is a cute name. Second of all, he's cute. And cute people are cute people. I don't give a shit if they're a boy or a girl or rich or poor or like reading or partying," Yifan rebutted. 

"Basically, he's saying he'll get with anything that moves," Minseok responded. Yifan glared at him and the others laughed. "Anyways, I'm out of cigs. Can we stop for them?" Minseok asked as they left campus and ended up in the parking lot. 

"Of course," Yixing answered. 

"Shotgun!" Yifan yelled, hopping in the passenger's seat next to Minseok. Yixing and Zitao groaned, getting into the back of Minseok's van with all of his music equipment. Minseok was the only one of them with a car, but since it also doubled up at his punk/metal/grunge band's van, it was a tight fit when all of them wanted to go somewhere. But a car is a car, and Zitao stuffed himself in between two amps. Yixing held the cymbals of the drum kit still as Minseok turned the old car on and drove out of school grounds. 

They pulled into the parking lot of a strip mall after just a few minutes, all of them hopping out. They headed into the convenience store, and Minseok strode up to the counter. 

"Pack of cigarettes, please," he asked the cashier. The boy smiled and hands him a pack of camels. Minseok went there so often that the cashier remembered his favorite brand. 

"Seven dollars," he said, and Minseok hands him the cash, and they waved goodbye.

After a few minutes, all of his friends were sitting outside of the store. Yixing carried a giant bag full of chips and candy, and Zitao and Yifan took whatever they wanted from it. 

"Those are some serious munchies, Xing," Minseok said. 

"It works in our favor," Yifan answered, munching on a twix bar. Minseok took a cigarette out of the pack and fitted it between his lips, pulling a lighter out of his pocket and setting the end on fire. 

"How come that guy doesn't card you for cigs? You're seventeen and you barely even look your own age in the first place," Yifan said. Minseok shrugged and blew out the smoke. 

"I swear I recognize him," Yixing said. "Didn't he used to go to our school?" 

"Yeah, he was in our grade but he dropped out freshman year. I think his name is Luhan or something," Yifan responded. 

"He's cute," Zitao said. 

"He is really cute. And he's got my cigarette order memorized," Minseok answered, taking another drag off of his cigarette. 

"You should give him your number or ask him out or something," Yixing said. 

"Hell no! If _I_ can pass all my classes, then he'd have to be _really_ dumb to drop out," Minseok responded. The boys all laughed as Minseok dropped the finished cig onto the ground and put it out with his shoe. 

"Where to?" He asked the group as they all got back into the van. 

"Let's just chill at our house," Yifan responded. Minseok started the car and hit the gas pedal, shaking up the backseat. Yixing held the drumkit still. 

"So Zitao, how are your little boyfriends?" Yifan asked. 

Zitao sighed and rolled his eyes. "They're not my boyfriends! They're just guys that I think are hot in my classes."

"Fine, fine. Has your ranking changed?" Minseok asked.

Zitao thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. The guy whose name I don't know in my history class was looking pretty adorable today. He was wearing a scarf. But Sehun from english actually spoke to me today so..." 

"Wait, who is Sehun?" Minseok asked. 

"Is he the one with the attractive back of his head?" Yixing added. 

"Yes, it's that one. He gave me the homework and told me it was due tomorrow." 

"What about the guy from your math class? Doesn't he actually have real conversations with you?" Yifan asked.

"Yeah, Jongin and I actually talk but he's just not as cute," Zitao whined. The other boys chuckled; they loved hearing about all of Zitao's crushes. 

Finally they pulled up outside of Yifan and Zitao's house. Minseok's van was dingy, so there was no fear of it getting broken into. Yifan unlocked the door and let the four boys in. 

"Mom?" Zitao called. Nobody answered, as usual. "Alright, we're alone."

They headed off to Yifan and Zitao's shared room to relax, ignoring the paint peeling from the walls. 

"I'd still be in P.E. right now if I was at school," Zitao said. 

"P.E is the worst. I don't think I ever even went," Yixing responded. 

"What do you guys wanna do?" Yifan asked the group. They all shrugged. 

"We could smoke," Yixing suggested. 

"I have work in a couple hours. The boss said he would fire me if I showed up high to work again," Yifan responded. 

"True, true," the boys muttered.

"Do you have a speaker?" Minseok asked Yifan. Zitao handed him his bluetooth speaker and turned it on. Minseok connected to it, and the opening chords of Phantom of the Opera by Iron Maiden. 

"Bah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah di da duh di da duh do duh da dum," Minseok sang along to the opening guitar riff, playing the air guitar along with it. 

"Our whole school is so scared of you but really you're just a dork," Yixing said sweetly. 

"Shut up," Minseok responded with a smile. "Oh yeah, by the way, my band is having a show next weekend. It's on Saturday the thirtieth so be there." 

"I'll save the date," Yifan said with a smile. 

"Which band is it again?" Yixing asked. Minseok gave him a look. 

"It's Vaguelly Nauseous. I'm only in one band, Yixing."

"But what happened to your last band? They were called Cherry Knot, right?"

"I left that band six months ago. Where have you been?" Minseok asked Yixing. 

"He's been smoking way too much weed, that's where he's been," Zitao said. Yixing just giggled. 

"I'm sorry. But Minnie, you're in a new band every few months. It's hard to keep them straight." 

"I guess you're right." 

"Do you play guitar or are you the bassist?" Yifan asked, going over to Minseok's phone to play the next song. 

"I'm the bassist this time around. I like it a lot better than being the guitarist. It's a lot less stressful," Minseok responded as the opening chords to Nirvana's In Bloom blasted from the speaker. 

"I bet. And I know you like playing bass better," Yixing said. 

"Yeah, for sure." Suddenly, the chorus of the song began, and the boys all gave each other a knowing look. 

"And HE'S THE ONE WHO LIKES ALL OUR PRETTY SONGS AND HE LIKES TO SING ALONG AND HE LIKES TO SHOOT HIS GUN, BUT HE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS" they all screamed along to the song. 

"Ba dum dum dum dum dum dum," Zitao added, following the drum pattern. 

"DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS AND I SAY HE'S THE ONE WHO LIKES ALL OUR PRETTY SONGS AND HE LIKES TO SING ALONG AND HE LIKES TO SHOOT HIS GUN BUT HE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS, DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS AND I SAY yeah." They all laugh at their terrible voices, grateful that they had each other to be weird around. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It was the most average Thursday evening. "Okay, Jongdae, so if you had to date someone from our school, who would it be?" Joonmyeon asked into the phone, laying on his four poster bed. He was in a good mood; his student council meeting had gone well and he'd finished all his homework. 

"I don't like anyone from our school," Jongdae whined back into the phone. 

"Come on! Just pick someone."

Joonmyeon heard him sigh. "I guess Yixing." 

"Yixing? The hippie stoner?"

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. "Joonmyeon?" He heard his mother call; she sounded serious. 

"Hey my mom wants to talk. I'll call you back later," Joonmyeon said cheerfully into the phone. 

"Alrighty, see ya," Jongdae responded and hung up. Joonmyeon opened the door and saw his mother staring at him with a worried expression. Joonmyeon couldn't think of anything he'd done that his parents would be mad about. His eyebrows furrowed. 

"What's wrong?" She looked up at him; Joonmyeon blames her for his short height genes. 

"I think you need to come look at this." His eyes widened with worry. She walked down the hall and Joonmyeon followed right behind. 

"What's going on?" He asked. There was no response. She led him down the stairs into the living room, where their eighty eight inch TV was blasting the news. Joonmyeon's father sat on the couch, his expression just as anxious as his mother's. 

"Come look at this," she mumbled. Joonmyeon turned and paid attention to the TV. 

"The recent explosion of the power plant just two miles south from the town of Morrisville has had a strange effect on the adolescents of the area. Many claim that they are suddenly able to sense their so called 'soulmates'. Reports have this began at about five o'clock this evening, and have continued for the past few hours. It has been described as a extreme sense of attraction and love for a person you've never even spoken to. Let's go to Kelly and see what this is all about," the newscaster said, the screen switching to a street outside of Joonmyeon's high school. In the frame was the female newscaster, standing next to two kids from Joonmyeon's school. They were an emo boy and girl in Joonmyeon's grade. 

"We weren't even dating before this. We were just kinda friends. But then when I saw her today I just knew I was in love," the boy said.

"Yeah, like, whenever we hold hands, it's like there's electricity between us. And, like, I just never wanna be without him ever again," the girl added. The screen switched back to the first newscaster.

"A serious issue or just teens being teens? As always, we'll keep you updated on this issue, here on the seven o'clock nightly news." The newscaster continued to speak but his voice faded completely from Joonmyeon's mind, replaced by panic. Wasn't he too young to find his soulmate? 

His parents turned to look at him, saying nothing. 

Finally, Joonmyeon spoke. "Oh god, we're all screwed."


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Jongdae picked Baekhyun up outside his house at 7:30, as per usual. Baekhyun was not his typical cheerful self, however. Instead, he and Jongdae just shared a look. 

"Was the news right? Is this really happening?" Jongdae asked quietly, driving off to Kyungsoo's place. 

"Yeah. One of my drama friends said he met his soulmate at a kickback last night."

Jongdae frowned. "I seriously thought the media made it up." They quickly arrived at Kyungsoo's place, the young boy looking as anxious as the rest of them. 

"At least I know it's none of my castmates," Baekhyun said with a smirk. "Seeing as how I've slept with all of them at some point. If you've slept with your soulmate, then you would definitely know that they _are_ your soulmate, even before this whole thing started."

"Oh shut up Baekhyun," Jongdae answered, laughing a little bit. 

"We all know you're just as virginal as the rest of us," Kyungsoo added. 

"Am not!" Baekhyun replied, but he was laughing too. But the laughter died down, and the nervous energy returned to the car. They were silent all the way until Joonmyeon's house, when he hopped in the car. 

"Stay stopped," Baekhyun told Jongdae. He looked at his friend curiously. "We should make sure that none of us are soulmates." They all agreed with Baekhyun, so the boys proceeded to reach around and tap everyone in the car on their shoulder, twice for good measure. When they were done, Kyungsoo breathed out a sigh of relief. 

"Thank god," Jongdae breathed out. 

"What? I'm offended," Baekhyun responded. 

"It's not that I don't love you guys," Jongdae said. "It would just be way too complicated."

"That's very true," Joomyeon replied. Kyungsoo nodded in agreement. 

"I guess you're right. I just wonder who it is though," Baekhyun spoke as Jongdae headed towards their school. 

"I mean, are they for sure at our school? You know, there are billions of people in the world. Chances are they don't even live in our town," Kyungsoo responded. 

"I hope you're right Soo," Jongdae said. 

"I mean, some of the people at our school are decent!" Joonmyeon said. 

"But most are not decent. It's more likely that you'll end up with a jock or one of those softboi douchebags than someone who is a genuinely good person," Jongdae answered. 

"I'm still holding out hope," Baekhyun said. 

"But why?" Kyungsoo responded as Jongdae pulled into the school parking lot. 

"I do _not_ want to get out of the car," Jongdae said. 

"Come on you guys. This might all work out for the best in the end," Joonmyeon responded. 

"Thank god for your optimism, Joonmyeon. I don't know what I'd do without it," Kyungsoo said, patting his friend on the back. 

"Now let's get this over with," Baekhyun mumbled, getting out of the door and dashing down to his class. The others followed him out, clutching their books as if their lives depended on it. 

Kyungsoo entered the school through the side door since it was the fastest way to his locker. Around him, boys and girls were keeping to themselves as much as possible, avoiding touching anyone they didn't know. Kyungsoo followed their lead, making sure to not look anyone in the eyes. Some obnoxious boys were running up and down the halls, tapping every girl within their vicinity on the shoulder. He rolled his eyes at them and pulled his books out of his locker. 

"How do you know she's your 'soulmate' or whatever?" Chanyeol, the number one worst person in the entire school (according to Kyungsoo) asked his friend condescendingly. The rest of the football team laughed along with Chanyeol, their unspoken leader. Kyungsoo stayed at his locker, listening in on their conversation. 

"I just know, man. Everytime I touch her, a spark runs from where we touched all over my whole body. When we kiss, I have to sit down afterward because it's so intense. I have to be around her as much as I can or else my heart physically aches for her. I'm pulled to her in every way. She's always on my mind. The thought of hurting her feelings makes me wanna vomit." 

"Sounds ridiculous," Chanyeol responded. For once, Kyungsoo agreed with him, but he was angry at the same time. How could this be happening? He'd hoped that the whole thing had been made up, but it didn't seem like it any more. He was only a sophomore; he didn't want to be the soulmate of anyone, especially at this school. He slammed the door of his locker and started to walk down the hall towards his first class.

"Hey Kyungsoo!" He heard a voice say. He turned around to see Jongin, one of the dumb jocks on the dance committee with him, speaking to him. Kyungsoo gave him the most sarcastic smile and wave and went to his first class as fast as his feet would take him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thank god I only have one more class until lunch," Joonmyeon muttered to himself as he walked down the empty hall to his next class. A lot of kids hadn't shown up for school that day, so the hallways were much less crowded than usual (which Joonmyeon was extremely grateful for.) Suddenly, he saw a leather jacket pop out from bathroom door. Joonmyeon sighed. As if this day couldn't get any worse, that mean senior was here to tease him again. 

As they were walking towards each other, Joonmyeon got a quick glance at the senior before staring pointedly at his feet. He'd always thought he was decent looking, but he'd never realized how handsome he was until that moment. What was wrong with him? His cheeks were turning pink against his will and he shook his head, trying to clear his mind. 

Surprisingly, the senior didn't say anything; Joonmyeon suspected he was just as nervous as himself about the whole soulmate thing. Joonmyeon sped up his walking pace, trying to get away from the only other person around him, when suddenly-

"Fuck," Joonmyeon heard a deep voice say. Just then, it hit him too. Pure sparks, flowing from the spot on his shoulder all throughout his body. His mind felt so full of things he'd never thought about before, had never felt before: so this was the soulmate thing. It was actually real.

Joonmyeon dropped all of the books in his arms on the floor in shock, not registering what happened until a few moments later. Why didn't he look where he was going? Why did he have to bump into that senior? Where had he gone? Why did he want to see his face so much? 

Joonmyeon shook his head, kneeling down to slowly pick up his belongings. Joonmyeon almost immediately noticed the presence of the other man when he arrived. He noticed him picking up his books, staring at his large hands. All he wanted was to be held by them. 

"H-Here," the man said. Joonmyeon looked up, and he thought he would explode. He was looking directly into the boy's eyes, and he felt weightless, breathless. Joonmyeon suddenly noticed that the man was holding his books. 

"Thanks," Joonmyeon responded quietly, trying to take the books from the man's hands. Their hands brushed, and another spark flowed through him. Joonmyeon sucked in a breath; he knew he could never get used to that feeling. 

"Um, well, I'm Yifan," the tall senior said, looking at Joonmyeon with a small smile. Joonmyeon felt his heart melt, and smiled back a little bit. 

"I'm Joonmyeon. It's...um...nice to meet you," Joonmyeon responded. 

"Can I walk to your next class?" Yifan asked. Joonmyeon nodded and smiled. Yifan stood up and held out his free hand to help Joonmyeon up. Joonmyeon grabbed his hand, almost falling down before finally getting on his feet. 

"I'll carry your books for you," Yifan said softly. 

"Th-thanks." He shyly looked down at the floor and felt Yifan smile at him. 

Joonmyeon and him walked down to their next class in awkward silence, stealing glances at one another. They stopped just outside of Joonmyeon's class and Yifan faced Joonmyeon, pulling his phone out of his pocket. 

"Are you free after school today?" Yifan asked. 

"Yes," Joonmyeon responded without question. He had student council that afternoon, but he couldn't go in this state. And at that moment, the most important thing in the world to him was being around Yifan. Yifan smiled at his words, and Joonmyeon almost fainted on the spot. 

"Can you give me your number so we can decide where to meet up?" Yifan asked, handing him his phone. It was a cracked phone from a brand Joonmyeon didn't recognize. Joonmyeon handed him his iphone 11 pro. 

"Sure, and you can put your phone number in my phone too," Joonmyeon responded. Yifan looked at the phone suspiciously before putting his number in. They exchanged phones once again, and Yifan handed Joonmyeon his books back. 

"Alright cool. I'll see you after school then?" 

"Yeah," Joonmyeon answered, smiling and waving at Yifan as he walked into his class. His feet were almost rooted to the ground outside and he could feel his heart break as he walked away from Yifan. The teacher quickly began the lesson, but all Joonmyeon could do was watch as Yifan slowly walked away from his classroom door. 

After Joonmyeon had calmed down a little bit, his brain began to function once again. What was going on? He didn't fully believe that the soulmate thing was real, but now he had definitive proof that it was. His body and mind he reacted so intensely to the two of them just bumping up against each other. How would he tell his friends? They had always sort of disliked Yifan and his group for being slackers. And anyways, didn't Yifan hate him? Yifan had been teasing him ever since he started high school, but he didn't seem upset that Joonmyeon was apparently his soulmate. In fact, it seemed like he was almost as nervous as Joonmyeon. A big guy like Yifan, made nervous by tiny shy nerdy Joonmyeon. The thought made Joonmyeon chuckle. 

Joonmyeon knew he would be a wreck by lunchtime, so once he got out of class and met his friends for their break, he decided to try and distract them. He wasn't ready to tell them about it yet. 

"So Baekhyun, what's the musical going to be this year?" He asked his friend. 

"It's called Fiddler on the Roof," Baekhyun said proudly, munching on a burger. 

"I've never heard of it. What's it about?" Baekhyun started talking animatedly about the entire plot of the play, in depth. Kyungsoo and Jongdae rolled their eyes at Joonmyeon, since once Baekhyun got started talking about theatre he would never stop. But Joonmyeon just smiled and nodded along to whatever Baekhyun was saying, pretending to pay attention. He couldn't let his friends notice how mixed up he was feeling. 

~~~~~~~~~~

In his last class, Joonmyeon was watching the clock. Typically he was a stellar student, paying attention right up until the last second of class, but today all he wanted was to see Yifan again. In just a few minutes the tall boy would be outside of his classroom, waiting for _him_ , and Joonmyeon was beyond excited. Even though he'd never spoken to him before today, Joonmyeon's entire soul was crying out to be near him again, to hear the sound of his voice and stare up at his beautiful face. They had texted about where to meet up earlier in the day, but it wasn't nearly enough. 

Finally, _finally_ , the bell rang, and Joonmyeon almost knocked his chair over with how quickly he gathered his things and left the classroom. Just as he had hoped, Yifan was standing right there. Joonmyeon hadn't realized just how tall he was, and he had to tilt his head up to see him properly. 

When Yifan noticed him standing there, his expression morphed into the most wonderful smile Joonmyeon had ever seen. 

"Oh Joonmyeon, I missed you," he said in a gentle voice that didn't match the way he looked at all. 

"I-I missed you too." His face was prone to blushing enough as it was, but with Yifan in his life now, he figured his cheeks might as well turn permanently pink. 

"Ready?" Yifan asked. Joonmyeon nodded.

"Yeah. Let's go." Joonmyeon followed Yifan out of school grounds and into the parking lot. He noticed he was holding a helmet, but didn't question why. Once they arrived, Yifan guided him towards a lone motorcycle. 

"Do you have a car?"

Joonmyeon shook his head. "No, I can't drive. I'm only fifteen." 

"Do you mind riding this then?" Yifan asked, pointing to the motorcycle. 

Joonmyeon's eyes bulged. "I-I've never ridden one before."

"I'll make sure you stay safe. I promise," Yifan answered, putting the helmet on Joonmyeon's head. He adjusted and buckled it for him. Yifan straddled the motorcycle, and beckoned for Joonmyeon to get on behind him. Joonmyeon hesitantly got on the machine. 

"Wrap your arms around my waist. Tightly," Yifan said. Joonmyeon did as he asked as more of the electricity flowed through his body. He bit his lip and looked down at the pavement.

"How far do you feel like going from school?" Yifan asked. 

"Far," Joonmyeon simply responded. He didn't want anyone from student council seeing him skipping out on a meeting; he had a reputation to uphold. Yifan just chuckled and revved the engine, quickly driving them out of campus. 

At first Joonmyeon was terrified, gripping Yifan as tightly as his short arms could. But the fear quickly fell away to one of pure joy. The wind flowing through his hair, Yifan weaving in and out of highway traffic, the sparks from touching Yifan, all made Joonmyeon feel like he was in a dream, like he would wake up at any moment. 

Yifan drove the motorcycle far away from school grounds and off of the highway, to a place Joonmyeon had never seen before. It wasn't too far from the highway, but it was a beautiful yellow meadow. Yifan stopped the motorcycle, holding it still so Joonmyeon can get off of it. He looked around at the beautiful scenery before him. 

"This place is stunning!"

"I know. Yixing loves nature so he always takes me and Minseok and Zitao to beautiful places like this."

"There are more of these kinds of places? Around here?" Joonmyeon asked. Yifan nodded. 

"Yeah, tons actually. My favorite place actually has a lake. I'll have to take you there sometime." Joonmyeon smiled at the fact that there would be a 'sometime' as Yifan propped up the motorcycle and sat on the grass. Joonmyeon sat in front of him, his legs crossed. 

"How do you have time to do all that exploring?" Joonmyeon asked. 

"Let's just say....me and my friends take a lot of days off from school." Joonmyeon's lips formed an o shape and he stared at the plants beneath him. They were silent for a few moments. All Joonmyeon wanted was to reach out and touch him, to know all about him, but he was so shy that he could barely look him in the eye. 

"Do you have to be home at some point?" Yifan asked. Joonmyeon giggled. 

"I do have to be home at some point."

Yifan watched Joonmyeon with a smile. "Why is that funny?" 

"Because of course I have to be home at some point. It's a school night!" Yifan started laughing, but it was gentle and not mocking. 

"I guess our parents are just pretty different. But anyways, what time do you have to be home?" Yifan asked. 

"Around six," Joonmyeon responded. "I swear it's later on weekends though." Yifan smiled.

"I'll make sure you're home by then." Joonmyeon's heart skipped a bit. The silence returned though, and Joonmyeon felt really uncomfortable. Would it always be this awkward with him? Joonmyeon hoped not. 

"Well, um, I'm Yifan, I'm a senior, I'm seventeen...and, um....I just realized I don't have any hobbies. Okay, that's kind of pathetic," Yifan said, chuckling to himself. 

"I-it's okay. I'm Joonmyeon, I'm a sophomore and I'm fifteen, and I'm on sophomore student body."

"Oh! What's your job there?" Yifan asked. 

"I'm the president."

Yifan whistled. "Damn, you're important."

Joonmyeon looked down and blushed. "Not really, we don't get very much done anyways. The school administration doesn't give student council very much responsibility," Joonmyeon explained. Yifan nodded. "So, what do you do after school then? If you don't have any hobbies or anything..." 

Yifan laughed. "I work at McDonald's."

"Oh, cool!"

"Not really. But that's how I bought this," Yifan said, patting the side of his motorcycle. 

"It was worth it then."

Yifan smiled. "Did you like riding it?"

"Yeah. It was really really nice. I was kind of scared at first but it was actually really relaxing." Yifan smiled and him, and Joonmyeon smiled back. A shiver ran down his spine. He felt excited and nervous but also deeply relaxed by the sound of Yifan's deep voice. He was worried though, because Yifan was being so nice to him, and he thought Yifan hated him.

"Can I tell you something?" Yifan suddenly said, and he looked nervous. Joonmyeon tilted his head. 

"Of course," Joonmyeon answered, but secretly he felt all of his nerves building inside of him. 

Yifan sighed. "I'm so glad it was you." Joonmyeon's eyes widened and he bit his lip. Now it was Yifan's turn to avoid his eyes. 

"R-really? I thought you hated me! You always teased me!" Joonmyeon cried. 

"You thought that?" Yifan asked anxiously. He sighed and shook his head. "Joonmyeon, I was trying to flirt with you."

Joonmyeon blushed and looked down at the ground. "Oh." All this time he really thought Yifan hated him. A sense of relief washed over him and Yifan started chuckling. 

"I've thought you were adorable since the moment I saw you. I'm really sorry if I ever hurt your feelings. I can promise you that I didn't mean it."

Joonmyeon shook his head and smiled. "I-it's okay. I'm just glad you don't hate me."

"I could never hate you," Yifan said insistently. "Not before, and especially not now." His voice became softer and gentler. Joonmyeon stayed silent for a moment. 

"I-I'm glad it was you too." He smiled up at the older man, and Yifan smiled back. Suddenly, Joonmyeon leaned back and laid down on the ground. 

"The sky looks awfully pretty," Joonmyeon said gently. Yifan scooted over to him and laid down on his back. 

"Fuck, yeah it is," Yifan responded gently. They laid there in silence for a moment, feeling the electric energy of each other's presence. 

"So...tell me everything there is to know about student council," Yifan said. Joonmyeon giggled for a moment, thinking about what to say. Joonmyeon felt Yifan's fingers brush against his hand, beginning to interlace their fingers. Joonmyeon finished it, butterflies threatening to fly right out of his stomach. Joonmyeon had never held hands with a boy before, in a romantic way, and Yifan's hand was calloused but warm and big and somehow it fit with Joonmyeon's perfectly. The sparks running through his body felt crazy but they weren't disorienting anymore. Instead, it just felt right. 

"As you were saying..." Yifan mumbled. 

"Oh yeah!" Joonmyeon said, coming back to reality as much as he could. He smiled, and proceeded to talk about his job as student body president. Yifan just listened and stared up at the clouds, looking over at Joonmyeon and smiling every so often. 

After about an hour or two, the sky began to darken. 

"What time is it?" Joonmyeon asked, stopping mid sentence to turn towards Yifan. Yifan pulled his phone out of his pocket. 

"It's about 5:15. Where do you live?"

"I live on the east side."

Yifan blinked. "Oh. Well, we should probably get going then. I want to make sure you get home a little before six."

"Thanks." Already, he felt much more comfortable with the tall boy. Yifan put the helmet back on Joonmyeon and got on the motorcycle, Joonmyeon quickly getting on behind him. 

As Yifan drove him home, Joonmyeon became more and more grateful that his soulmate had a motorcycle. The feeling of moving down the highway felt just like being with Yifan did: exhilarating. Joonmyeon directed Yifan down the paved streets of his neighborhood, doing a couple turns before ending up in front of his house. Yifan stopped the motorcycle and Joonmyeon got off. 

"Wow! Who do you share your house with?" Yifan asked, staring at Joonmyeon's home. 

"Um...my parents?"

Yifan's eyes widened. "Anyways...well," Yifan sighed. "I guess this is goodbye for now. This was really really great."

"Y-yeah. I had a great time too." Joonmyeon knew he had to go inside but his feet wouldn't budge. 

"I'll text you," Yifan said. Joonmyeon nodded. He couldn't bear the thought of leaving Yifan. He suddenly felt Yifan's hands on his face, unbuckling his helmet before squeezing Joonmyeon's hand.

"Go. I don't want you to get in trouble. I'll text you as soon as I get home, I promise." He looked so cool, wrapping his hands around the handlebars of his motorcycle, but there was a sadness in his eyes at having to leave. 

"Promise?" Joonmyeon asked. 

"Promise." 

"Okay...Bye for now then, I guess."

Yifan waved and started the engine. Joonmyeon waved back, running home before he was rooted in the spot near Yifan forever. 


	3. Chapter 3

When Joonmyeon woke up the next day, he felt his heart sink into his chest. All he wanted was for Yifan to be there with him, but he was all the way at his own house. Even though they had texted for quite a while the evening before, he missed him so much that it was almost worrying. He sighed, pulling out his phone and realizing he had quite a few missed calls and texts from Kyungsoo. He opened them sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

 _Where are you? Why didn't you come to the meeting today?_ Kyungsoo asked. 

_I'm sorry! My parents wanted me to come to this event and I forgot to tell you..._

_What kind of event?_

Joonmyeon could tell he was suspicious, but he kept it going. _Just a rich people thing..._

_I can't believe you abandoned me with the football guys!_

Joonmyeon felt guilty, but was glad that his excuse worked. 

_I'm sorry!_ He exited out of Kyungsoo's chat, looking at messages from his other friends. The next one was from Yifan. 

_Good morning,_ it simply read. Joonmyeon felt his heart melt in his chest. 

_Morning! ^.^ How are you?_

_I miss u a lot..._ Yifan replied almost immediately. Joonmyeon sighed with relief; at least he wasn't the only one feeling that way. 

_I miss you too_

_Are u free today?_ Yifan asked. Joonmyeon almost squealed with happiness. Luckily he didn't have plans, but even if he did he would've cancelled them. 

_Yes I'm free today!_ Joonmyeon answered as fast as his little fingers would type. 

_Do u wanna hang out later? I can pick u up around noon_

_That's perfect_ Joonmyeon sent just as his phone starts to ring, with Baekhyun on the display name.

"Hey man, what's up," Baekhyun asked. 

"Nothing much, I just got up," Joonmyeon responded, trying to hide the excitement in his voice. 

"Do you wanna hang out today? Me and Jongdae were thinking of going to the movies." 

"Sorry Baek, I'm busy today. My parents want me to attend this rich people event," Joonmyeon lied. He felt bad for lying to his friends so much, but his body was crying out for Yifan and it would be too painful to not see him. 

"That sucks. Alright, I'll see you tomorrow or Monday then," Baekhyun said dejectedly. 

"Alright. Love ya!"

"Love you too," Baekhyun responded and hung up. Joonmyeon looked at the time. 10:30? He had to get ready!

He rushed downstairs into the kitchen, pouring some cereal into a bowl. 

"Good morning honey!" His mother said, hugging Joonmyeon as he continued to make his cereal. "What's the rush?" 

"Morning mom! I'm hanging out with my friends in about an hour." Joonmyeon downed his cereal at lightning speed. 

"Alright honey. Be home before dark!" She said and went back into her office. Joonmyeon smiled, putting his dishes in the sink before rushing upstairs to his bathroom. He needed time to look good for Yifan. 

After taking a shower, he combed out his hair nicely and put on his cutest clothes. He didn't have the best fashion sense, but he had one pair of skinny jeans that made him look nice as well as one t-shirt that made him look less like a nerd. He put those on as well as a thick layer of chapstick before sitting down and checking the time. 

"Eleven o'clock. I guess I didn't need to rush so much," Joonmyeon thought before mindlessly scrolling through his phone, trying his best not to let the butterflies in his stomach kill him. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"What are they doing here?" Yifan asked his brother as Minseok and Yixing walked into their bedroom. 

"They're my friends too. And I needed people to hang out with since you're going to be gone today," Zitao said saltily. 

"Yeah, your brother is a freshman but he's still cool," Yixing added. 

"Anyways, why are you going to be gone today?" Minseok asked. Yifan smiled widely and sat down next to his friends. 

"I was waiting until all of you were here to announce this," Yifan said, trying to be serious but he couldn't contain the smile on his face. "I met my soulmate yesterday." Minseok, Yixing, and Zitao all looked at him and each other in shock. 

"Wait, like really? With the sparks and shit like the news keeps talking about?" Minseok asked. 

"Exactly," Yifan responded. 

"Who is it?" Zitao asked worriedly. Yifan paused for a moment. 

"So you know that adorable little sophomore who I kept flirting with? Yeah, it's him. Kim Joonmyeon." The other boys were silent for a few moments. 

"Oh my god Yifan you're going to ruin him," Minseok finally said. 

"Am not! I'm going to take good care of him."

"But he's so innocent! And you're so....not innocent," Zitao said. 

"I'm not going to ruin his innocence I promise!" Yifan whined. 

"Okay, we all know that Yifan is a horrible influence but he's not a mean guy. He's not gonna hurt this kid," Yixing said, coming to Yifan's defense. 

"That's true. You're a good person," Minseok said. 

"Agreed. Just don't destroy him okay! He's very sweet," Zitao said. 

"I promise I won't," Yifan said, standing up and throwing on his leather jacket. "Anyways, I gotta get going. We're meeting at noon."

"Noon? But it's only 11:15," Minseok said. 

"I have to buy stuff for the picnic," Yifan responded. The three boys turned to stare at him in shock. 

"A picnic? You are a changed man, Yifan," Zitao said. 

"I guess I am." 

"But Yifan, the grocery store still isn't that far. Why do you have to leave so early?" Minseok asked. 

"He lives pretty far; out on the east side."

"The east side? Well, you're never meeting his parents," Zitao said with a scoff. 

"I know, right? His house was like three of our houses combined," Yifan responded. 

"Wait, when did you go to his house?" Yixing asked. 

"Yesterday we hung out and I dropped him off at home so he wouldn't miss his curfew." 

"What's a curfew?" Yixing asked. The other boys laughed. 

"Anyways, how was your little date?" Minseok asked. Yifan sighed, and the others laughed again at how dreamy it sounded. 

"It was really great. We went to that meadow off the highway and talked. We even held hands," Yifan said without any sarcasm. 

"Wow, the great Wu Yifan, manwhore of Morrisville, reduced to getting excited about holding hands. Maybe there is hope for Joonmyeon," Minseok teased. Yifan rolled his eyes, heading out the door. 

"Oh Minseok, just wait until you find yours."

~~~~~~~~~~

Joonmyeon felt a little bit pathetic. For the past half hour, he had been obsessively staring out the window, waiting for Yifan pull in front of his house. At 11:55, he heard the sounds of his motorcycle's engine outside his window, and he ran out of his room. 

"Bye mom! Bye dad!" Joonmyeon shouted, grabbing his things and running down the stairs. He shut the door before he could even hear his parents respond, running across the street to Yifan. 

When he finally got there, Yifan pulled him tightly into his arms without even a pause. Joonmyeon hadn't expected a hug from him, but he had never felt more safe and wonderful in his entire life. Yifan's strong arms held him close and his big chest was comfy for Joonmyeon to rest his head upon. The electricity that flowed through him felt incredible and warm and he never wanted it to end, but eventually Yifan pulled away, looking bashfully at the pavement. 

"Sorry about that." 

"N-no! Don't be sorry," Joonmyeon awkwardly answered, looking down at the ground too. 

"I just missed you, that's all," Yifan said, looking back up. Joonmyeon looked up too, locking eyes with Yifan. A smile bloomed on Yifan's face, and Joonmyeon felt his cheeks turn pink. 

"We should get going." Yifan nodded and put the helmet on Joonmyeon, his rough hands gently buckling the straps on. He hummed and got on the motorcycle, Joonmyeon getting on and wrapping his arms around Yifan in a way that was slowly becoming familiar. And Yifan drove off, weaving through the fancy buildings of Joonmyeon's neighborhood onto the highway. The late September noontime sun hit in just the right way, warming them without being overpowering. The wind of the cars speeding past on the highway finished drying Joonmyeon's hair and tousled it around. Yifan's hair was unaffected, however, the short black locks staying right in place. 

Joonmyeon had no idea where they were going but he didn't care. He was on a part of the highway he'd never seen before, down by the west side, but he wasn't scared at all because Yifan was there. He took an exit off the highway, one he wouldn't have even noticed if Yifan hadn't turned onto it, and the nature surrounding the highway turned from yellow meadows to heavy forests. Joonmyeon inhaled, and the scent of eucalyptus trees filled his nose. If this wasn't magic, he didn't know what was. 

The road started to descend, twisting and turning downhill and Joonmyeon was kind of worried because moving downhill on a unstable vehicle like a motorcycle was kind of scary and _oh my god_. 

Yifan stopped the bike and Joonmyeon's jaw dropped. The most beautiful scenery Joonmyeon had ever seen in his entire life stood before him: a picture perfect clear lake, surrounded by wildflowers and bright green grass. Joonmyeon kneeled down to run his hands over the grass, the softest he'd ever felt in his life. 

"I know, right?" Yifan said, smiling and looking at the nature around them. His eyes quickly turned back to Joonmyeon though, and Joonmyeon smiled up at him. He took of the helmet and put it on the ground. 

"Why don't you ever wear the helmet?" Joonmyeon asked him. 

"I've never worn a helmet since I bought the motorcycle. I got one because I figured I should start wearing one but I never did. It's come in handy though."

"Why?"

"Because you need to stay safe."

"But you do too!"

Yifan shrugged. "You're more important." He sat down on the grass next to Joonmyeon, reaching for a plastic bag Joonmyeon hadn't noticed before. "You hungry?"

"Yeah, actually." The cereal from earlier hadn't filled him up at all. Yifan started pulling fruit and sandwhiches out of the bag, handing one to Joonmyeon. 

"I thought it would cute if we had a picnic," Yifan said, his voice confident but his eyes shyly avoiding Joonmyeon. Joonmyeon beamed at him, grabbing one of the sandwiches. 

"This is amazing! I love picnics and this place is beautiful," Joonmyeon said, biting into a turkey club sandwich. Yifan grabbed a BLT and smiled at him. 

"I'm glad you like it." Joonmyeon scooted over next to Yifan so both of them could look out at the lake. They didn't speak, but it wasn't weird anymore. The sound of the rippling water and birds chirping around them was all the noise they needed. Joonmyeon felt impossibly at peace. Whether it was because of the view or because of Yifan, he didn't know. 

"So what are your friends like?" Joonmyeon asked, eating some of the watermelon Yifan had bought.

He chuckled and thought for a moment. "They're...crazy. But they're my best friends. I love those guys like brothers. We are awful influences on each other, to be honest. None of us encourage each other to do well." Joonmyeon giggled and smiled, waiting for Yifan to continue. Yifan stabbed a plastic fork into Joonmyeon's container, eating one of the watermelon pieces. 

"My group is me, Zitao, Yixing, and Minseok. Zitao's a freshman, he's my actual brother too. He can be a dipshit sometime, but he's hilarious and I don't mind him hanging out with us. He's super thirsty though. It's honestly pretty funny. Yixing's hilarious, he's always high but he's such a sweetie. He doesn't talk much but he likes to show us cool nature-y places and try to get us to be more in touch with the earth or whatever. He plays guitar for us too sometimes; he'll always play us old 60's music when we're super high. It's great." Joonmyeon smiled and put down the empty watermelon container. Yifan wrapped an arm around Joonmyeon's shoulder, and Joonmyeon hesitantly rested his head in the crook of Yifan's neck. It was broad and comfy and Joonmyeon loved how it felt to have his skin against Yifan's. 

"Minseok is cool too. He's always in a different band and there's always drama with his band members, but he's really fucking talented so it's cool. He'll always sleep with different members and things will get complicated. He chainsmokes and it's so bad for him but he won't quit. He always kinda smells like cigs. I think it's gross, but for some reason all those band people think it's really hot. Oh well," Yifan said. Joonmyeon looked up at Yifan and Yifan looked back at him, their faces only inches apart. Joonmyeon stared at Yifan wide eyed, butterflies getting more violent in his stomach. He quickly looked away, cheeks dusted rosy. Yifan looked away too. 

"They sound nice and interesting," Joonmyeon said, trying to clear his mind. Yifan laughed after a few moments. 

"Yeah, that's one way to describe them. I want you to meet them really badly. Mostly so I can show you off, to be honest." Joonmyeon smiled wide, snuggling deeper into Yifan's shoulder. 

"And your friends? What are they like?" Yifan asked. 

"My friends aren't nearly as interesting as yours," Joonmyeon answered, a soft laugh on his breath. "I've known them forever though. We've been best friends since the first grade. I've got Kyungsoo, who is on student council with me. He's the treasurer."

"Oh yeah, you were telling me about him yesterday. You said he was short and angry," Yifan said. 

"Yeah, that exactly it. He hates a lot of things," Joonmyeon said. 

"I feel like he and Minseok would get along. Minseok hates a lot of things too."

Joonmyeon laughed. "He hates a lot of stuff but not as much as Jongdae. Jongdae hates pretty much everything. Sometimes I worry about him a little, you know? He can be secretive about his feelings but he seems really sad. But he doesn't want to talk about it so I don't want to push it." Yifan nodded understandingly. "Jongdae and Kyungsoo are the pessimists of our group but me and Baekhyun are the optimists. We generally see the glass half full, and I think it makes a nice balance. Baekhyun is really extra though and it's kinda funny, even though it annoys the others sometimes. He's pretty big in the drama program. He's really talented at so many things: acting, dancing, and singing. I don't know how he does it. He's really popular within the drama kid group, but the other kids in his grade are mean to him sometimes. It's so awful."

"Who?" 

"Mostly the kids on the football team, especially the quarterback. Do you know Park Chanyeol?" Joonmyeon asked. 

"Oh that little bitch...I can beat his ass if you want me to. I've wanted to already but now I have a genuine reason." 

"That might actually be nice," Joonmyeon mumbled with a smile. Silence fell upon them again, Yifan's arm wrapping around Joonmyeon's waist to hold closer. Yifan made small talk about the weather and schoolwork, and Joonmyeon answered, and it was simple and gentle for a while. 

But it happened. Yifan and Joonmyeon looked at each other once more, tension building, before Joonmyeon quickly flitted his head away and stared at the grass, running his fingers through it. 

"If you don't want to kiss me, you should just tell me. I won't try to anymore," Yifan said, looking at the ground and trying to hide his disappointed expression. 

"N-no! I do wanna kiss you," Joonmyeon cried, panic in his voice. "I-I just..." he trailed off. Yifan looked back at him. "It's just..." Joonmyeon said again, his voice getting quieter. "I've never kissed anyone before. I'm not even sure if I know how." Yifan immediately looked relieved and happy and smiled at him. 

"I can teach you how," Yifan said, cupping the side of Joonmyeon's face and stroking his cheek gently. Joonmyeon blushed softly, looking up at Yifan as he slowly leaned in closer. Joonmyeon looked around, awkwardly placing his hands at his sides as he suddenly realized he should shut his eyes. 

Suddenly, Yifan's lips were on his. Joonmyeon felt it through his whole body, all his nerve endings singing as soft lips slid against his own. He felt as if he would explode with feeling, his mind filled with warmth and all of the best emotions. All he wanted was this feeling forever. 

He quickly realized that he should be kissing Yifan back instead of just sitting there so he moves his lips back. Yifan tangled his fingers into Joonmyeon's shaggy dark brown hair, tilting his head to get a better angle. Joonmyeon finally exhaled, all of the nervous energy he'd been holding in released. Yifan's kissing was gentle and chaste and Joonmyeon liked it that way, liked how gently Yifan was treating him, how careful and cautious he was. 

When Yifan finally pulled away both of them were breathless, staring at each other like they couldn't believe this was actually real, that they had just been dreaming this entire time. 

"Are you sure you hadn't kissed someone before?" Yifan asked after a few moments. Joonmyeon shook his head and smiled. 

"I'm very sure. I think it was the whole soulmate thing." 

"Maybe it's a combo, like it's 'the whole soulmate thing' and the fact that you're a good kisser."

Joonmyeon smiled wider, the blush never leaving his cheeks. "That was kind of the best thing ever."

"I'm glad you like kissing, because now all I want to do is kiss you," Yifan responded. Joonmyeon laughed and looked down. Suddenly they both turned to look at the view and noticed the sun was beginning to set. 

"Oh shit, we've gotta get you home," Yifan said. Joonmyeon frowned but put the helmet on, grabbing their trash and getting on the motorcycle behind Yifan. As he drove back up the hill, Joonmyeon's sadness at the inevitability of leaving Yifan for the night was replaced with pure weightlessness. He felt lighter than air, the sun setting behind him as wind flowed through his hair. His body and mind felt incredible, freed in a way, and he almost wanting to scream. He had just had his _very first kiss_ , with the most handsome boy with a heart of gold, who happened to be his soulmate, as the sun was setting on a stunning lake. He held Yifan's waist tighter, leaning his head on his back as their surroundings grew darker and darker. 

His mind didn't really register that he was going back home and leaving Yifan for the day until Yifan's motorcycle pulled up in front of Joonmyeon's house. The sun had set but the sky was not yet dark, pink and orange tones still painting the sky. Yifan propped up the bike and got off, helping Joonmyeon onto the pavement. 

"Today was the best day of my life," Joonmyeon shyly admitted. A wave of pride swept over Yifan's handsome face.

"I'll make sure that this is not the last time you say that." Joonmyeon looked up at Yifan and Yifan captured his lips one last time, the kiss feeling just as magical as each one that came before. Even though Joonmyeon was so sad, he smiled after Yifan pulled away. 

"Let's see each other tomorrow." 

Joonmyeon nodded. "Of course Yifan. Of course." The sky grew even darker, and people's front yard lamps began to flicker on. Joonmyeon sighed and began to turn away, but Yifan grabbed his wrist. He kissed him one last time, quick and chaste. 

"I just needed one more," Yifan mumbled against his lips, running his fingers through Joonmyeon's soft hair. Joonmyeon smiled, and Yifan kissed the top of his head. "That's all. I'll see you tomorrow." Yifan slowly walked back to his motorcycle and drove off, Joonmyeon waving goodbye to him the whole way. Once he was out of eyesight Joonmyeon skipped all the way across the street, screaming under his pillow and dancing around his room for the rest of the night. 


	4. Chapter 4

When Joonmyeon got in the car with the rest of his friends Monday morning, he was trembling with excitement. Yesterday Yifan had been called into work a twelve hour shift, and he would have gotten fired if he didn't come in. So Joonmyeon didn't get the chance to see his soulmate, and his whole body physically _ached_ with how badly he needed to see him. He had hung out with his friends, and it was nice to catch up with them, but being without Yifan was genuinely painful. 

He was barely listening to his friends talk, eyes glued out the window to see if he could catch a glimpse of his soulmate driving by on his motorcycle. All Joonmyeon wanted was to be on the vehicle with him, wind through his hair, hands on his waist, mind in a dream. He opened the window unconsciously, wanting to grab a little bit of that feeling. 

"Joonmyeon, what are you doing? It's freezing outside," Jongdae spoke with annoyance. 

"Sorry, I just need some air." Joonmyeon sighed and shut the window halfway. The others went back to their conversation, and Joonmyeon could be at peace with his thoughts. 

Finally they got to school and Joonmyeon almost leapt out of the car, hurriedly saying goodbye to his friends and running towards the parking lot to find Yifan. He didn't notice his friends giving him a strange look as he ran off, too distracted by the idea of seeing his soulmate.

When Joonmyeon reached the parking lot Yifan was just pulling in on his motorcycle. Zitao was sitting on the back of it, but as soon as he noticed Joonmyeon there he legitimately ran away. Yifan stared at his brother leave with a confused expression before noticing Joonmyeon there, dropping everything to run over to him. 

"Myeon oh my god." He pulled Joonmyeon into a tight hug and relief washed over him immediately, his body feeling perfectly safe and whole once again. 

"I missed you so much," Joonmyeon mumbled softly into Yifan's chest, neither realizing how ridiculous they were being. They had only been apart one day, after all. 

"I missed you too." Yifan gently kissed the top of Joonmyeon's head before capturing his lips in a chaste kiss. Joonmyeon's hands held onto Yifan's strong shoulders as Yifan gently rested his hands on Joonmyeon's delicate waist. Joonmyeon sighed, finally relaxed after a whole day of being on edge without Yifan. When Yifan pulled away he reached for both of Joonmyeon's hands, intertwining their fingers. 

"How are you?" Joonmyeon asked, looking up at Yifan. 

"Much, much better." A relieved laugh escaped Yifan's lips. "You?"

"Same." 

"How soon is class?" Yifan asked. Joonmyeon checked his phone. 

"Five minutes." They both frowned and sighed, pulling away from each other. Sadly their classes were on opposite sides of campus, so they had to get going and leave each other. 

"Will you eat lunch with me and my friends today? We meet at the grassy area next to the football field," Yifan asked. Joonmyeon's whole face lit up and he smiled back at Yifan. 

"I would like nothing more."

~~~~~~~~~~

After his class, Joonmyeon began the walk from the building to where Yifan and his friends ate lunch. Technically everyone was supposed to eat in the cafeteria, but rules were made to be broken when Yifan was involved. He felt kind of bad for leaving his friends, but he missed Yifan too much to be without him. 

When he approached the area where Yifan ate lunch, he and his friends were already there. Joonmyeon immediately got super nervous, hiding behind a tree. Other than Minseok all of Yifan's friends were super tall, and other than Zitao they were all much older than him. They were infinitely cooler too, with their fun clothes and life of wild experiences. Joonmyeon had never felt more out of place before in his life. 

"Dude, how was your little date on Saturday?" Joonmyeon heard a gruff voice ask Yifan. 

"It was fucking magic," Yifan answered, and Joonmyeon smiled as he felt warmth and fuzziness spring from his stomach. "That was by far the best day of my life."

"But what about that time when you were crossfaded and had that big orgy with Minseok's old band?" Another, more high pitched voice spoke. Joonmyeon frowned, realizing just how much more experienced Yifan was than him. 

"That does not even compare to my day with Joonmyeon." Joonmyeon's spirits perked up a bit. 

"Have you taken his virginity yet?" The first voice asked. Joonmyeon heard the sound of someone slapping someone else. 

"Minseok you're disgusting. We just kissed. We didn't even make out," Yifan said. "Oh yeah I invited him to lunch today. Be nice to him or I'll fucking kill you guys I swear." 

"Oh yay! I'm excited to meet him," A new, soft voice said. Joonmyeon realized he was starting to get hungry, and that he shouldn't waste his time just eavesdropping. He finally poked his head out from behind a tree and walked towards them.

"Myeonie! Finally, I was getting worried," Yifan said to him. Joonmyeon smiled shyly and looked the ground, still standing up.

"H-Hi, um, I'm Joonmyeon," he said quietly.

"Come here," Yifan said gently. Joonmyeon sat down by Yifan and Yifan pulled Joonmyeon closer, leaning against a wall while Joonmyeon sat between his legs. Joonmyeon blushed, staring at the ground. 

"Well I'm Minseok," the gruff voice said. 

"I'm Yixing," the soft voice said. 

"And I'm Zitao. I'm his brother. Normally I would say that if you hurt him I'd kill you, but I get the feeling that couldn't hurt a fly." Joonmyeon smiled a little bit, starting to eat his lunch. Yifan petted his hair and Joonmyeon felt a little less nervous. 

"Aw you two are so cute together!" Yixing said as Minseok whipped a cigarette out of his back pocket. 

"Do you mind if I smoke?" He asked Joonmyeon. Joonmyeon quickly shook his head; he didn't want to be a bother. 

"N-no! I don't mind," he stuttered Minseok started to take a drag and Yifan leaned in closer to Joonmyeon. 

"Don't be nervous baby," Yifan whispered. Joonmyeon smiled widely, the first time that Yifan had given him a nickname. "They like you already." Joonmyeon felt a little bit better but snuggled closer to Yifan, feeling safe in his arms.

Minseok started talking about his show next Saturday, asking his friends about the setlist. 

"I'll get all of you in for free. Oh yeah Joonmyeon, you should come too," Minseok said with a smile. 

"Really?" Joonmyeon asked, a bright smile on his lips. He'd never been to a real concert before. 

"Of course. You're pretty chill." Joonmyeon smiled widely. 

"Oh, thank you!"

"No problem." Yixing started talking about a new strain of marijuana he'd tried recently and how _all of you_ had to try it because it was so good. Joonmyeon just listened in, feeling more and more comfortable by the second. Even though these kids were so different from him, they were still lovely people, and Joonmyeon had never realized that he needed variety in his life. 

Before Joonmyeon knew it, lunch was over, all of them standing up and packing their things. 

"Are you free later?" Yifan asked. Joonmyeon sadly shook his head. 

"I have student council today." He missed the last meeting and he could _not_ miss another, but it broke his heart. Yifan frowned and pecked Joonmyeon on the lips. 

"Alright baby. I'll see you tomorrow then," Yifan said, and Joonmyeon could see the heartbreak in his eyes. He held Yifan's hand as the others turned to each other. 

"I'm going to class today," Zitao said. 

"Me too," Yifan said, knowing that he had to get Zitao home after school even though all he wanted to do was leave school with his friends and drink away the thought of not seeing Joonmyeon until tomorrow. 

"Suit yourselves," Minseok said, he and Yixing heading up to the school parking lot. Yifan kissed the top of Joonmyeon's nose and went off to class, Joonmyeon walking the other way dejectedly. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Baekhyun was having a weird day. Joonmyeon had been acting super strange in the morning, and then had been gone for lunch without an explanation. The whole soulmate thing was still bugging him, seeing as how more and more people were meeting theirs. The hallways were littered with couples making out and single people avoiding the touch of others like the plague. Baekhyun was one of those, not wanting to make this day even more complicated. 

Suddenly he heard the loud laughter and yelling that could've came from a pack of animals. _The goddamn football team_. 

"Do you want me to walk you to class?" Kyungsoo asked Baekhyun. They were in front of Kyungsoo's classroom, and Baekhyun still had a ways to go before he reached his own. Baekhyun's friends often walked him to class if the football team was there, because they were less likely to pick on Baekhyun if he wasn't alone. 

But Baekhyun checked the time and class was starting in one minute, and he knew Kyungsoo took his studies very seriously. 

"Go, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

Baekhyun nodded. "Yeah, my class isn't too far." Kyungsoo sighed and went inside, and Baekhyun began the terrifying walk down the hall to his english class. 

The noise of the football team died down but Baekhyun could feel a presence behind him, but Baekhyun didn't even have the energy to be nervous anymore. What would they do to him today? He knew they were behind him; last time this happened they threw a freezing cold can of paint onto the back of his brand new sweater. Chanyeol, Baekhyun's main bully, hadn't actually been there that day, but Baekhyun was sure he orchestrated the entire thing. 

He felt the presence getting closer and closer, and Baekhyun braced himself for whatever was to come. A hand was on his back and it pushed him, cruel and rough but not hard enough to push him onto the ground. That was fine. That was nothing for Baekhyun. 

But what he didn't expect were the sparks running from the spot he'd been pushed on the middle of his back. He felt electrified, his whole body crying out, to be touched, to see the man who had pushed him. Even though Baekhyun was confused and depressed his heart was alive, dancing through his chest. He felt like the first time he'd ever been on stage, nervous but intoxicated with pure energy. But Baekhyun knew that all of the feelings would go away once he turned around, once he saw for sure who he thought had made him feel this way. 

Slowly, Baekhyun turned around, and...of course. Just Baekhyun's luck. It was the man who had made his life living hell since the sixth grade: Park Chanyeol.

Baekhyun looked up at him, tears welling up in his eyes. Why did life have to be this way? Chanyeol clearly hadn't expected this turn of events either, by the way his hands were trembling and the way his deep set eyes were so wide Baekhyun thought they would pop out of his skull. Baekhyun had expected him to be angry, to hurt him, but instead he just looked terrified. It made Baekhyun's heart break but he didn't want it to. His heart should be breaking for himself. 

"What the fuck you made the fag cry! From just a little tap too," one of the football players teased. The other guys started laughing at Baekhyun and before he could think he ran off, not caring whether looked dumb or missed class or literally anything at this point. 

He finally reached the boy's bathroom and shut himself in the stall, his body wracked with sobs. He threw his backpack on the ground, curling up in the disgusting toilet seat. All he wanted to do was hop in his car, run away, maybe even crash it on purpose just to _escape_ but of course, _of course_ , just his luck, Jongdae had driven to school today. He hated the fact that his body was not connected to his mind, the sparks of connection still flowing through him, but his mind was in a pit of despair. It was wrong, everything was so _wrong_. 

Baekhyun heard someone else enter the bathroom but he didn't even care, sobbing at the top of his lungs. His life was over, what else did he have to lose? 

He noticed a strong looking yet slender hand slip a piece of paper underneath the door of the stall. He waited until the other person had left the bathroom before reaching for it. 

_Your drama practice ends around the same time as my football practice, so can we talk after that? I'll wait outside the school in my car for you_

_\-- C_

Baekhyun crumpled up the paper and put it in his back pocket. Who knows what Chanyeol would do to him in that car; he could murder him for all he knew. But Baekhyun could not care less, at this point. His body needed to be with Chanyeol, and his mind needed to tell him off. So he was going. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Baekhyun wasn't even nervous. All through drama, he performed his lines perfectly, but the feeling wasn't there. Baekhyun was just dead. 

So when he saw a red car waiting for him by the school theatre, Baekhyun just shook his head and walked towards it. He hadn't thought that Chanyeol was going to go through with it, but the feelings his body and mind were making him feel were, I guess, too strong for Chanyeol to resist. When Baekhyun got to the car the door was unlocked, so he just stepped inside. Chanyeol was staring out the front window. He didn't even bother to look over. 

He was wearing a tank top and sweats, his hair wet from the shower after practice. Baekhyun's breath caught in his throat. Chanyeol was one of the most popular guys in school, a million girls wanting a piece of him, but Baekhyun had always been so disgusted with Chanyeol's personality that he'd never noticed that physically, he was quite attractive. But Baekhyun couldn't care less. 

"I hate this. I hate you," Baekhyun said angrily. 

"As you should." His voice was deep and threatening to break; Baekhyun had never seen him like this before. He truly hadn't expected a response like that. 

"How could this happen?" Baekhyun said, no more tears left in his system. "I thought that people's soulmates matched up with their sexualities. Like, gay guys ended up with other gay guys."

"They do," Chanyeol responded. Baekhyun looked at him with surprise but Chanyeol refused to look away from the front window. 

"Then what the fuck is wrong with you?" Baekhyun cried out. 

"A lot of things are wrong with me Baekhyun. I'm really sorry. You deserve better," he answered, his voice getting quieter with each word. Baekhyun just sighed and slumped against the chair. "What are we going to do?" Chanyeol asked.

Baekhyun laughed incredulously. "We're not going to do anything! We're going to avoid each other like usual. And maybe you'll take some pity on me and not hurt my feelings as often as you do." Chanyeol looked down at his lap, away from the window for the first time since he'd gotten in the car. He looked like he would die from pain, but Baekhyun didn't care. 

"Some of my friends have their soulmates. They say that it physically hurts to spend more than two days apart from each other." 

"I can endure it. It physically hurts to get pushed around in the hallways and to get shit thrown at you. I'm used to it."

"I never threw anything at you," Chanyeol said quietly. 

"Don't start with semantics; it doesn't fucking matter. You've pushed me before, you've helped your shitty friends plan to throw shit at me, and even if you haven't thrown things at me you've thrown words that keep me up at night!" 

Chanyeol still couldn't even look at him. 

"I didn't help my friends throw things at you," he finally said. Baekhyun rolled his eyes.

"You don't get it," he mumbled under his breath. He wanted to cry, so badly, but he couldn't. Baekhyun wanted to be held in Chanyeol's arms and sob about his fate of being with Chanyeol. He hated Chanyeol but craved Chanyeol's love and he hated himself for it. Baekhyun looked down at the bottom of Chanyeol's car, when suddenly he felt a hand reach toward him. 

Chanyeol was finally looking at him, his eyes rimmed red, and his hand was right by his face. Baekhyun instinctively began to tremble with fear, his mind made up that Chanyeol was going to hit him, he was going to hurt him. But all Chanyeol did was tuck a lock of Baekhyun's hair behind his ear. Baekhyun still trembled, scared out of his mind. Chanyeol turned away and buried his face in the steering wheel. 

"What have I done..." His voice shook like Baekhyun's body but Baekhyun finally started to calm down, leaning against the window of the car, as far from Chanyeol as he could get. 

"I hate you," Baekhyun mumbled. 

"I know; I deserve it," Chanyeol replied quietly.

"I hate you," Baekhyun repeated. 

"I'm a horrible person, of course you do."

"Why aren't you as angry about this as I am?"

Chanyeol sighed. "It's complicated." Baekhyun rolled his eyes and sighed back. 

"How are you getting home?" Chanyeol asked softly. Baekhyun shrugged. "I'll drive you, put your address in my phone."

Baekhyun did so and handed the phone back to Chanyeol without looking at him. 

"Don't use this to TP my house or come in and murder me, okay? My parents have enough going on as it is." 

"Baekhyun, I would never." 

"I don't trust you," Baekhyun grumbled. Chanyeol put his hands over his face, his breathing haggard. He sniffled a bit and shook his head, turning on the directions to Baekhyun's home. 

"Come on, I'll take you home."

They spent the rest of the ride in silence, and Baekhyun's heart ached. It hurt because Chanyeol had hurt him and it hurt because Chanyeol was hurting and it hurt because part of him never wanted to see Chanyeol again and part of him couldn't live without him. He was confused, torn apart, and angry.

Luckily Baekhyun's house wasn't too far from school so the ride didn't last too long. Baekhyun hurriedly gathered his things. 

"See you tomorrow," Chanyeol said. 

"Nope," Baekhyun responded, and left the car as fast as his legs would take him. 


	5. Chapter 5

When Joonmyeon got in Jongdae's car the next morning, all three of his friends turned to give him a death glare. He was _so_ screwed. 

"Where were you at lunch yesterday? We always eat lunch together," Kyungsoo asked accusingly. 

"Yeah, and you've been acting really weird lately," Jongdae added. For once, Baekhyun said nothing, but only Joonmyeon took notice of his silence and the heavy bags under his eyes.

He sighed, thinking of what to say. All Joonmyeon wanted was to brag to his friends about Yifan, talk about him and share his feelings with them. But what if they didn't approve? Yifan already meant the whole world to him. 

"Alright guys, I'll explain." He couldn't lose their friendship; these boys had been with him since he was in the first grade. So he had to tell the truth. "I met my soulmate on Friday." All of the boys smiled at him and Joonmyeon immediately felt better. 

"Dude! Congrats!" Jongdae cheered. 

"You could've told us, we would've understood why you'd want to meet lunch with him or spend time with him in general," Kyungsoo said. 

"Who is it?" Baekhyun asked, trying to maintain a smile. 

"Well....um...do you guys know who Wu Yifan is?" Joonmyeon asked shyly, playing with his fingers and staring down at his lap. The others boys in the car starting screaming. 

"Wu Yifan? The senior? The one who was always teasing you?" Kyungsoo asked incredulously. 

"Yeah! Turns out he was just trying to flirt with me." Just talking about Yifan made him smile. 

"Is he treating you right? Because if he isn't I'll murder him," Jongdae said. 

"No no no! He's so sweet with me. He has a motorcycle, and we ride around on it together, and he takes me to this beautiful places, and he calls me baby and holds my hand. And on Saturday he took me to this lake and had a picnic! And...I had my first kiss!"

"That's so cute!" Jongdae said. 

"Aw, your first kiss too?" Kyungsoo added. 

"Wait, you hadn't been kissed yet?" Baekhyun asked. Joonmyeon shook his head. 

"I've never been kissed," Kyungsoo said. 

"Same," Jongdae added. 

"But we're fifteen and sixteen!" Baekhyun cried. 

"Not all of us slutted it up at theatre camp in eighth grade," Jongdae teased. Baekhyun laughed and playfully slapped his shoulder; it was the first time Baekhyun had smiled that morning.

"Hey! At least I'm not virginal like you all," Baekhyun answered. 

"You're still a virgin!" The others boys shouted. They all laughed as they pulled into the school parking lot, but Baekhyun's face quickly fell. He didn't want to be at school. He didn't want to see Chanyeol again, even though his whole body and a small part of his mind was desperate to see his face. 

"Bye guys!" Joonmyeon said excitedly, hopping out of the car to go see his man. Kyungsoo and Jongdae chuckled at him and went off, and Baekhyun went to his own class. 

~~~~~~~~~~

By the time Baekhyun finished his first class of the day, he was a mess. He hadn't slept a wink last night, so he could barely keep his eyes open.

He dreaded the thought of seeing Chanyeol; he couldn't let Chanyeol know that he was affected by him. Hearing about Joonmyeon and Yifan in the car had only made things worse: yes, he was beyond excited for his friend, especially because he knew that Joonmyeon had never dated anyone before. He also knew that Yifan had that sort of bad boy charm but deep down, he was a nice guy who would treat Joonmyeon well. Baekhyun knew this because Yifan had come to his defense a couple times when the football team was bullying him. 

But he couldn't help but be jealous. Why did his friend get to have the romance of a lifetime while he only had pain? Why did his friend get picnic dates and romantic motorcycle rides while he just had arguments in a shitty high school student car? This whole thing was truly unfair. 

He was incredibly lucky that the teacher hadn't called on him because by the time to the bell for the next class rang, Baekhyun hadn't learned a thing. He probably couldn't even tell anyone what they had been learning about. 

He walked to his next class at a sluggish pace, his mind and body beyond exhausted. He dreaded seeing Chanyeol. Maybe he could go the whole day without seeing him, just ignore the weight on his mind and the heaviness in his heart from not being around his soulmate for so long. 

But the universe was not smiling on Baekhyun, and Baekhyun rounded a corner to see Chanyeol getting books from his locker. Baekhyun was grateful that Chanyeol looked just as worn out and sad as he did, but it made his heart feel worse. He was so torn that he thought he might fall apart: he wanted Chanyeol to hurt as badly as he did but he also wanted Chanyeol to never hurt again. He wanted to walk over and be enveloped in Chanyeol's big strong arms and then knee him in the crotch. 

Baekhyun tried to keep his head down, praying that Chanyeol wouldn't see him. But Chanyeol noticed his presence immediately and watched him, seemingly unable to turn his head away. They locked eyes and Baekhyun hated the way a shiver ran up his spine, hated the way his heart beat louder in his chest, hated that his mind decided to take that moment to notice how beautiful the color of Chanyeol's eyes was. Chanyeol watched him the same way too, tired but loving. 

"Hey look, fucking Baekhyun is staring at you! Wasn't it funny when you made him cry yesterday?" One of Chanyeol's football friends teased. Chanyeol slammed his locker and glared at his teammate. 

"Shut the _fuck_ up."

"Oh, are you going soft?" The jock teased.

"Go to class. I know you're failing math," Chanyeol responded. The jock looked shocked but swallowed his words and went off to class. Chanyeol walked by Baekhyun, avoiding his eyes. Baekhyun just stood there, watching Chanyeol's tall frame go by. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Yifan missed Joonmyeon terribly. They hadn't hung out the past two days, and Joonmyeon had sat with his friends at lunch. He missed kissing him, having his tiny soulmate in his arms. That's why he cursed the world when on one of Joonmyeon's few free days, he had work. 

He was dejectedly flipping burgers, the smell of grease more disgusting than usual. The restaurant was empty but Yifan wanted to be prepared.

"Are you okay?" His coworker Jonghyun asked. 

"Yeah, I guess," Yifan responded, but it sounded like a lie even in his ears. 

"What's up man?" Kibum asked, frying up some potato slices.

Yifan sighed. "I met my soulmate Friday but I haven't been able to spend time with him lately. I miss him so much it hurts."

"Oh yeah I heard about that!" Jonghyun said. All of Yifan's coworkers had already graduated high school, so they weren't affected by the power plant explosion. 

"I didn't really believe it, but I guess hearing you say shit like 'I miss him so much it hurts' makes me believe it," Kibum added. 

Yifan chuckled. "Yeah, it didn't sound real to me either but I guess it is. I'm crazy about this guy. It's weird; I've never really liked anyone this much." 

"You were always telling us stories about how often you were having one night stands, so it's nice that you've finally settled down," Jonghyun said. 

"I really agree. Nothing is as rewarding as being with him," Yifan responded with a smile, and his two coworkers chuckled at him as he heard the sound of someone walking in the door. 

"I can't believe you dragged me to a random McDonald's! On the west side! Who knows what kind of shady people could come in here? Why didn't we go to one closer to school or my house?" Yifan heard a voice say. 

"C'mon Jongdae it's really important to me! I promise we'll leave soon," Yifan heard Joonmyeon answer. He immediately ran away from the stove, going up to the counter to take his friend's orders. 

"Baby! What are you doing here?" Yifan asked, unable to hide the smile on his face. Yifan loved watching the way Joonmyeon smiled back at him, his beautiful face lighting up for him and him alone. Joonmyeon ran over to the counter, leaning over the edge to kiss Yifan. It took Yifan off guard in all the right ways, happiness and electricity flowing through his veins. He didn't realize just how much he missed being with Joonmyeon until he was with him, once again feeling whole. 

"I just missed you a lot," Joonmyeon mumbled, feeling shy about being so bold. Yifan smiled and kissed Joonmyeon on the forehead. He was so focused on Joonmyeon that he didn't even notice Joonmyeon's friend walk over to the counter. 

"Are you going to order anything?" He asked. It took Joonmyeon a moment to shake his head and turn to his friend. 

"What would you recommend?" He asked Yifan.

Yifan laughed. "Joonmyeon, this is McDonald's."

Joonmyeon blushed. "Oh...I just haven't really been here before."

"Your boyfriend has never been to McDonald's before?" Jonghyun asked with a laugh. 

"Ignore him, Jonghyun's dumb," Yifan said to Joonmyeon with a blush. They hadn't really had the 'are we boyfriend's yet' talk even though they were already completely wrapped up in each other. 

"Well I'll have a vanilla shake and some fries," Jongdae said. Yifan looked at Joonmyeon. 

"How hungry are you?" He asked. 

"Pretty hungry..."

"Let's get you some chicken tenders then," Yifan said, yelling the order to Kibum. Joonmyeon started to reach into his backpack for his wallet. "It's on the house baby."

Joonmyeon smiled and blushed and Yifan kissed his cheek and left the counter to go make his and Jongdae's food. The two friends sat in a booth at the back of the restaurant. After a few minutes, Yifan poked his head out of a door and went into the main area of the restaurant, sitting down next to Joonmyeon in the booth and handing the friends two bags. 

"Here's your food." Joonmyeon snuggled against his shoulder and Yifan smiled. "I'm taking my break now, it's only fifteen minutes though."

"Hi I'm Jongdae, Joonmyeon's best friend since the second grade. It's nice to meet you, and now I'm going to leave you two alone. I'll be in the car Joonmyeon. Don't be too long," Jongdae said quickly, standing up and leaving the restaurant. 

Joonmyeon looked at Yifan and smiled. "I hope I'm not bothering you. I just missed you a lot, that's all..."

"You aren't bothering me. You've made my day," Yifan insisted as Joonmyeon smiled. "It was nice of your friend to drive you out here."

"Yeah, it really was. It took a lot of convincing, but he eventually caved once I said I'd pay for him. Jongdae seems like a mean guy but he's actually a total sweetheart."

Yifan smiled and kissed the top of Joonmyeon's button nose. "Now try the chicken tenders." Yifan said.

Joonmyeon opened the bag, peering down at the chicken before taking a small bite. "This is delicious!"

Yifan smiled, deciding right there that he wanted to cook for Joonmyeon again. Maybe something nicer than McDonald's though. "I can't believe you've never had McDonald's before. What do your parents do when they're too lazy to cook?"

"Oh, we just get those prepackaged things from Whole Foods," Joonmyeon casually explained. Yifan chuckled and held Joonmyeon's hand as he finished his chicken, talking about little things that didn't matter but it did matter when he was with Joonmyeon, because he could make even working at McDonald's feel wonderful. 

More people starting filing into the store for their afternoon snack, lining up behind the empty counter and grumbling loudly. 

"Yifan get your ass back in here! We need you!" Kibum shouted from the kitchen. Yifan rolled his eyes and sighed, kissing Joonmyeon on the nose and hugging him one last time. 

"I'll see you tomorrow. I promise I'll take you on a real date on Thursday," Yifan spoke sadly. Joonmyeon just snuggled into his chest, sighing and moving his arms after many long moments. 

"We can text when you get off work, right?" Joonmyeon asked, walking to the restaurant door. 

"Of course baby." Yifan sighed as he walked back into the kitchen. 

"I can't believe your boyfriend gets prepackaged food from Whole Foods," Jonghyun said while laughing. Yifan rolled his eyes but smiled, work feeling slightly less fruitless than before. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It was three am and Baekhyun couldn't sleep for the second night in a row. He was starting to realize that Chanyeol was right about the whole 'heart aching of two days without being with each other' thing. In the day time he could be rational and hate Chanyeol, but in the night, running on no sleep and sadness, he could miss him with all his heart. The images in Baekhyun's mind of Chanyeol, the ones where he's pushing Baekhyun around and yelling at him with a cruel smirk, were replaced by images of Chanyeol with a deep frown and his eyes red, looking at Baekhyun like someone had just died.

Baekhyun couldn't decide. On the one hand, Chanyeol hadn't bothered him at all today. In fact most of the football team hadn't spoken to him or aggressively bumped into him like usual. And based on Chanyeol's interaction with one of his teammates, it seemed like Chanyeol was starting to stick up for him. It made Baekhyun feel better, feel like maybe there was some hope for his love life. But then he remembered that Chanyeol was only doing this because of the whole soulmates thing. Would Chanyeol have ever stuck up for Baekhyun if they weren't thrown together like this? Would Chanyeol have ever changed his ways if they weren't thrown together like this? Baekhyun thought he knew the answer, and that answer left him angry and depressed. 

He knew he would die if he didn't do something. Baekhyun couldn't sleep, could barely eat. His body trembled constantly, needing gentle words and caresses from Chanyeol to live but if he kept his morals and standards then he could never get those. But Baekhyun was loathe to just let everything go, ignore the hurt and pain Chanyeol and caused him and just love him. He couldn't do that, he didn't think he could ever love Chanyeol with every part of his mind, not just the parts that had decided Chanyeol was his soulmate. For the past five years, Chanyeol had destroyed his confidence and sense of safety. How could he possibly accept him now?

When the sound of a car engine pulling up in front of Baekhyun's home entered Baekhyun's ears, he was beyond grateful. He needed something to distract him, something to think about other than Chanyeol. 

He stuck his head out of his window and sighed. Of course it was Chanyeol's car. Of course. 

He debated it in his mind. On one hand, his whole body was crying out to go to Chanyeol, and it wasn't like he was going to sleep anyways. On the other, he didn't want to cave in. But before he could even decide Baekhyun had a jacket on and was leaving his room as quietly as he could, and his mind just gave up. 

Baekhyun made it out of the house without waking up his parents, slowly walking to Chanyeol's car and ducking into the passenger's seat. Chanyeol was gazing at the steering wheel. Quiet music played out of the speaker.

"What are you doing here?" Baekhyun asked tiredly. 

"I couldn't sleep. I haven't been able to sleep. I needed to be near you." Baekhyun just sighed, knowing exactly how Chanyeol felt. It made him angry beyond words. "I brought you this," Chanyeol said, reaching into the backseat and handing Baekhyun a box. Inside were curly fries.

 _Huh, my favorite_ , Baekhyun thought. But he didn't say anything and ate them in silence. 

He was so mad that he felt better already. Being in Chanyeol's presence calmed the sadness in his soul but gave him a headache. Being here would only make things more complicated, but he couldn't have resisted. 

He finished the fries and put the box in the backseat, turning to Chanyeol and looking at him. 

"I didn't think you'd actually come down," Chanyeol said, staring out his window. 

"Me neither. I didn't think I actually would. I guess I'm just tired." 

"Me too." Chanyeol finally turned and looked back at Baekhyun. His eyes were dead and he looked gaunt but Baekhyun still found him beautiful and he _hated_ it. 

Before either of them could register what was happening they were lunging at each other, lips smashing together. Joonmyeon had described his first kiss with Yifan to his friends at lunch but Baekhyun knew that was nothing like this. This was anger, this was sadness, this was fear and there was nothing beautiful or soft or gentle about the way Baekhyun kissed Chanyeol. He kissed Chanyeol like he wanted to hurt him, grabbing his hair and holding his waist a little too hard. Chanyeol kissed him back but he was kind and it made Baekhyun upset. He wanted Chanyeol to be aggressive. He wanted more of a reason to hate him. 

When they finally pulled away for air Baekhyun was shocked at himself. Why would he fucking _do such a thing?_ Why was he only making this more complicated for himself? He didn't have enough time to think about the answers to those questions before Chanyeol picked him up and pushed him up against the steering wheel, dominantly but not cruelly. They kissed again, all hard mouths and tongues sliding against each other and gripping each other for dear life. Baekhyun had never felt more alive in his life, not even when he sang his first song on stage, not even when he'd had his first kiss, not even when he won the lead part in his favorite musical or when he got the award for best actor at theatre camp in the eighth grade. It felt like there was electricity underneath his skin that was trying desperately to break out and like his lips had a mind of their own, and those lips were in ecstasy. 

Chanyeol adjusted himself and pushed his chest against Baekhyun's, making Baekhyun lean against the car horn. It blared long and loud down the dark suburban street but Baekhyun could not find anything in himself to care. Clearly Chanyeol didn't either, not even flinching at the loud sound that was likely to wake up all of Baekhyun's neighbors. 

They pulled away again for more air, lips swollen and wet, eyes wide. 

"God you're gorgeous," Chanyeol said, his voice even deeper than usual. 

"Lies." 

"You don't think you're hot?" Chanyeol spoke as he kissed Baekhyun's neck. 

"No. I know I'm hot. You're just saying these things because I'm your soulmate or whatever. You don't actually believe what you're saying."

Chanyeol kissed up his jaw. "I thought you were hot before we became soulmates," Chanyeol said softly.

Baekhyun scoffed. "I don't trust you. I don't believe you."

Chanyeol just kissed him again. Baekhyun could taste the hurt on his tongue but it was okay, it was okay because he'd needed Chanyeol's touch ever since they'd first bumped into each other the day before. 

When they finally pulled apart once again Baekhyun looked over at the time. 

"Shit Chanyeol it's five am," he said. "I have to get up in two hours."

"Same." Chanyeol just sighed. Baekhyun got off of Chanyeol's lap, shamefully reaching for his jacket. 

"Can I please get your phone number?" Chanyeol asked. His voice was trembling, begging, and Baekhyun was too tired to say no. So they exchanged numbers and Baekhyun left the car without another word. He entered his house again once he heard Chanyeol drive off, making absolutely sure not to wake up his parents. When he got back to his room, his collapsed onto the bed. His mind was racing, but he was finally able to fall back asleep. 


	6. Chapter 6

When Baekhyun got to school the next day, he was dead tired. Running on two hours of sleep and a broken heart, he dragged his feet through the hallways of the school and to his classes. The boys on the football team still snickered at him as he walked past, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be. That was Baekhyun's only consolation. 

He was beyond angry at himself. He couldn't _believe_ he'd given in so quickly, just kissed Chanyeol without a thought to how he'd feel in the morning. Thinking about it just made him feel tired though, so he tried to avoid it. It was hard not to think about though when Baekhyun could sense whenever Chanyeol was even near him, and couldn't tear his eyes away whenever his tall frame brushed past. 

At this point, Baekhyun couldn't even tell how he felt about Chanyeol. As much as he tried to resist a part of him was giving in to what his body wanted, but a part of him still hated Chanyeol more than anyone else in the world. But mostly, he was just tired. 

On his way to lunch, he checked his phone. He had two texts. 

One of them was in the Kewl Kids (tm) group chat with him, Joonmyeon, Kyungsoo, and Jongdae (of course, Jongdae had to give their group chat the dumbest name possible). 

_Hey, I'm eating lunch with Yifan today :)_ , Joonmyeon typed. 

_Traitor_ , Kyungsoo had responded. Baekhyun chuckled but then frowned. Joonmyeon had been a really good cover for him because all of the attention was on him and his soulmate. Baekhyun knew that eventually his friends would notice how exhausted and drained he was, but it was way too difficult to explain what was happening to them. They would immediately side against Chanyeol, like good friends would do, but they would judge Baekhyun for his weakness in fighting off his feelings. 

His other text was from Chanyeol. He sighed and opened it, bracing himself. 

_Do you want to meet up some time today?_ He'd texted in the morning.

 _I miss you_ , he had added a few hours later.

Baekhyun sighed again, typing out a response.

_You can give me a ride home from rehearsal._

It was the least Chanyeol could do for putting him through so much emotional turmoil. 

_Okay :D_ , Chanyeol answered almost immediately. Baekhyun rolled his eyes and locked his phone, sluggishly walking through the crowded halls. 

~~~~~~~~~~

At lunchtime, Joonmyeon was excited. It was sad that he could only eat with Yifan at lunch, but he knew that tomorrow they would have a real date. So this would have to be enough for now. 

He was already feeling much more comfortable with Yifan's group of friends. At first, he was afraid they would look down on him for being such a nerd. He'd even nervously called Yifan the night before, begging to know if his friends didn't approve or thought he was weird, but Yifan had told him that they already loved him and said that _Yifan_ wasn't good enough for _Joonmyeon_. They had always seemed really scary, but deep down they were just as dorky as Joonmyeon's friends.

It was becoming normal for him to curl up in Yifan's arms at lunch, snuggling into his chest as he ate one of his perfect little sandwiches. As usual, the others just snacked on leftover McDonald's that Yifan had picked up the night before. 

Joonmyeon checked his phone. He had one text from the group chat, and it was Kyungsoo calling him a traitor. He knew Kyungsoo had meant it as a joke, but he was scared that his friends thought he was abandoning them. He really wasn't, he just didn't know how to bring these two parts of his life together. 

"And anyways, so the cute guy whose name I don't know in history officially has met his soulmate, who's a fucking _girl_ but from what I can tell Sehun from english is still single," Zitao said. 

"The one with the attractive back of his head?" Yixing asked. 

" _Yes_ , you've already asked that like a million times," Zitao answered, rolling his eyes. Just then, Yifan looked over Joonmyeon's shoulder at his phone. 

"Why is your friend calling you a traitor?" Yifan asked jokingly, resting his head on Joonmyeon's shoulder. Joonmyeon smiled at the affectionate touch. 

"Because I ditched him at lunch today," Joonmyeon explained. 

"Tomorrow we should all eat lunch together; I really want to meet them. Clearly they're really important to you since they've known you since the first grade, and the only one of them I've met so far is Jongdae."

Yixing's head perked up when Yifan said Jongdae's named, but nobody noticed. 

"That's a great idea! It would be nice to meet some new people," Minseok said. 

"And see some new hot upperclassmen," Zitao added. The others rolled their eyes and laughed. 

"I'll definitely ask them if they want to hang out with us," Joonmyeon said with a soft smile. He knew it was a really good idea to try and combine their groups, but at the same time it made him nervous. What if Yifan's group thought his group was uncool? What if his group was too scared by Yifan's group? 

Yifan kissed his cheek. "I know you've been feeling pretty bad about ditching your friends so much, and I have a feeling this will make you feel better," Yifan spoke quietly to Joonmyeon, intertwining their fingers together. Joonmyeon smiled up at him. Even though they hadn't known each other for very long, Yifan was always just able to pick up on how Joonmyeon felt. It was wonderful. 

Suddenly the distant sound of the school bell rang, and the boys stood up. Joonmyeon frowned, knowing he wouldn't see Yifan until the next day. Yifan just hugged him, holding him close and kissing the top of his head. 

"I promise, tomorrow will be the time of our lives," Yifan said, and Joonmyeon perked up because he knew he was right.

~~~~~~~~~~

Minseok was incredibly proud of himself. He'd managed to go to every single one of his classes that day, a feat he normally didn't accomplish. Now _that_ called for a reward. 

After school, he drove down the highway in his big van, the drum kit and guitar rattling in the back. Today his friends weren't in the car to hold down the instruments, since they had all squeezed onto the back of Yifan's motorcycle and left early. It was nice to be alone with his thoughts, but at the same time, he wanted someone to calm down the banging of all of his equipment. 

He drove into the parking lot of his favorite strip mall, making sure his van was thoroughly locked before hopping out and grabbing some cash. He needed to restock on cigarettes and maybe get a pack of gum, since he did make it to his classes. 

Minseok smiled wide when he walked in. The cute cashier was there, as usual, but it still never failed to brighten his day. He hadn't been to the convenience store in a while, and he was suddenly realizing that he had missed the employee that apparently had dropped out of their school a few years ago. It was weird though; he didn't even remember the guy's name. Was it Luhee? Luhod? Something like that. 

For some reason he couldn't keep his eyes off of this guy, and from what Minseok could tell the cashier felt the same way, watching Minseok as he grabbed a pack of mint gum and strode up to the counter. 

"Pack of cigarettes please." The cashier smiled at him, super wide, but not ingenuine. It was incredibly strange. Minseok had never noticed before how perfect the frame of the clerk was as he turned to grab some Camels off of the shelf. He had never noticed how delicate his hands were as the slid the pack across the counter to Minseok. 

While he was ringing Minseok up his eyes were fixed on him. Minseok somehow didn't find it strange, but he could tell that the cashier was just as confused as he was. 

"Seven fifty please." Minseok handed the clerk eight dollars, and when he reached across to grab it their hands brushed and- _oh_. 

Minseok knew immediately what was going on when the sparks started to flow from the tips of his fingers all the way down through his veins to every single part of his body and it was so much, so overwhelming, just how much he wanted to leap over the counter and hold this guy in his arms, this random cashier at the random convenience store in his little town. Yifan had described these feelings but Minseok had not quite believed him, had just assumed Yifan was exaggerating but he wasn't. At all. It was almost more intense than Yifan had described it; mind, body, heart, and soul all concentrated on one person. 

It took Minseok a minute to notice what the cashier was doing. He was turned away from Minseok but he could tell there was a soft blush on his cheeks, and his hands were trembling as he fiddled with something in the back. 

Minseok cleared his throat. "Hi." Desperately, he wanted the boy to turn back around so Minseok could see his face properly, but he wouldn't do it. 

"Hi," the cashier answered, still facing the back. 

"Um...I'm Minseok."

"Luhan," the cashier responded simply. Minseok stayed put but didn't say a thing, and so did Luhan. Finally, Luhan turned around with a sigh. 

"Look, we can pretend this didn't happen if you want," Luhan said.

Minseok's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why would I want that?"

"Because obviously I dropped out of high school so I'm _really_ dumb," Luhan responded, throwing Minseok's words from a few days before back in his face. Luhan's expression was neutral but there was hurt in his eyes and it stung Minseok to think he had hurt his feelings. Suddenly though, Luhan laughed. "I'm kidding Minseok. I am really dumb, don't worry about it." Luhan brought Minseok his change. "But I'm serious about the whole 'pretending this never happened' thing. I'm a mess; I don't know if you want to get involved."

"Dude. My friends have met some of their soulmates. It's impossible to not get involved. We're in this together now."

Luhan seemed surprised but shrugged. "Alright. It's your loss though."

"When are you free?"

"I finish my shift at eleven pm."

"I'll be back then." Again, Luhan seemed surprised. But he smiled and waved. 

"Alright, Minseok. I'll see you then."

As Minseok smiled back and got into his van, Minseok checked the time. Fuck: it was only four pm. He was sure he couldn't survive the wait. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After rehearsals Baekhyun saw the red car that was now becoming familiar to him waiting outside of the auditorium. Chanyeol was already inside, staring out the front window as usual, but he handed Baekhyun a box of curly fries. 

"For you," he said. Baekhyun couldn't help but smile. He was starving. 

He ate them silently. The air in the car was still full of tension but it wasn't nearly as bad as before. 

"When did you have time to get these?" Baekhyun asked. 

"We don't have practice on Wednesdays." Baekhyun sucked in a breath. He didn't think Chanyeol would just wait for him at school. 

"How were rehearsals?" Chanyeol asked, and it came off as genuine. It took Baekhyun off guard. 

"Oh! They were fine. I was pretty tired today, so I didn't deliver my lines as effectively as I could have and I _know_ my singing voice is not at the place where it should be but I just have to work on it."

"If you're tired we should get you home then." Chanyeol started the car and Baekhyun just sat back. This entire time with Chanyeol has been too confusing. 

"Th-thanks," Baekhyun answered. 

"Anyways, about doing not so good at rehearsals...I know you'll do amazing Baekhyun. You always do," Chanyeol said seriously, but Baekhyun just laughed. 

"You haven't been to a school play in your life!" Baekhyun cried. Chanyeol just shrugged and looked out the front window, concentrating on driving Baekhyun home. 

Baekhyun finished off the fries and put the box in the backseat, leaning back and watching the view. He hated how comfortable he was becoming in this car. 

Finally, they pulled up outside of Baekhyun's house. Chanyeol looked at him with a pained expression, and Baekhyun knew exactly what he wanted and Baekhyun wanted it too. It was incredibly hard to not touch each other, to resist their bodies and minds crying out to be closer with each other. But Baekhyun wasn't ready and Chanyeol wasn't going to do anything without Baekhyun's permission. 

"Bye," Chanyeol said quietly. Baekhyun got out of the car without another word. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Minseok hadn't been this excited about anything in a very long time. Even though they'd just met and they knew nothing about each other Minseok already missed him so much, just from being apart for seven hours. He'd been teasing Yifan about how attached he was to Joonmyeon ever since the two of them got together, but now he understood why he'd been going so crazy. 

He pulled into a parking spot right by the convenience store where Luhan worked. He could see that the lights were still on, but Luhan was closing the door. Just as Minseok left his car Luhan shut the lights and locked the door. 

"Oh. I didn't think you'd actually come," Luhan said. His expression was neutral but Minseok could tell by his eyes that he was pleasantly surprised. 

"Why didn't you think I'd come?" Minseok asked. Luhan just shrugged, staring at the floor. "Let's sit there." Minseok pointed to a bench next to Luhan's store and they both sat down an awkward distance apart from each other, desperate to reach out and touch the other but awkwardness holding them back. 

"Look, Luhan," Minseok said suddenly. Luhan turned to look at him. "I'm sorry about what I said a couple days ago. People drop out of school for all kinds of reasons. I don't know what you've been through, so I can't make a judgement. I want you to know that I'm actually pretty excited about this because you're fucking hot and you seem like a decent guy, ya know?" The sky was dark but the lights of the strip mall were bright and Minseok could see Luhan was blushing. 

"You don't have to be so nice," Luhan mumbled. 

"Yeah, I do," Minseok said, pulling a cigarette out of his back pocket. "Do you mind?" Luhan shook his head and Minseok lit the end. 

"Like...you're hot too and you and your friends seem chill....so it's not like I mind this either." Minseok breathed a sigh of relief; he thought that Luhan didn't want him back. 

"This is fucking weird though, isn't it?"

"I know right!" Luhan cried. "Like I don't even know you but I just really wanna touch you and shit." Minseok took a drag, leaning against the armrest of the bench. He spread his legs and beckoned Luhan closer.

"Then come and do it."

Luhan smiled, leaning back against Minseok's chest. "This is so nice," Luhan said softly, and Minseok agreed completely. The electricity running from his chest from touching Luhan somehow more calming than the cigarette between his lips. 

"It really is," Minseok answered gently. They sat like that in silence for a few minutes, just breathing in the air around them, of each other. Minseok couldn't remember the last time he was so happy. How could this be? They'd only just met. 

"I bet you're curious," Luhan finally spoke up. 

"About what?" 

"Why I dropped out." Minseok couldn't deny it; he'd been wondering ever since that fateful touch with Luhan just a few hours before. 

When Minseok didn't respond, Luhan just spoke. "I got messed up in drugs back in freshman year. I'm clean now but at the time I was failing all of my classes and I just didn't see the point. It's kinda too late for me to go back now though, since I would've been senior this year." Minseok could tell that Luhan was upset by this, but he didn't show it obviously. 

"Wow, that sounds..." 

"Don't bother with the pity party. It just makes it worse." 

Minseok breathed out a sigh of relief. "Okay then. I'm glad we got the heavy stuff out of the way."

Luhan chuckled. "Me too. I feel kinda bad though; talk about yourself so I feel less vulnerable." 

"Uh...I'm seventeen...I chainsmoke and yes, I know, it's disgusting....and I'm in a band."

Luhan perked up. "You're in a band? What kind of music do you play?"

"Grungey, metally, punky stuff," Minseok explained. 

"I love that shit." Minseok smiled down at him and Luhan turned around to look at him. 

"Really?"

Luhan nodded. 

"That's fucking awesome!" 

"Yeah, agreed. What do you listen to?" Luhan asked. 

"Check out my playlist." Minseok pulled up spotify on his phone and handed it to Luhan. He nodded, scrolling through the song titles. 

"Why are all of these bands and singers guys?" Luhan asked with a smile. 

"What? I don't listen to just guys." 

"Yeah you do."

Minseok rolled his eyes and grabbed his phone back from Luhan. He looked through his playlist and grimaced. Luhan was right, there were only guys on his playlist. 

"Here, let me play you some good stuff," Luhan said. Minseok handed his phone back to Luhan and he turned something on. The opening chords came on, thick guitar, with a nineties vibe. 

"What's this?" Minseok asked. 

"I'm Not by Daddy Issues," Luhan responded. He started singing along with the song, his voice a little too soft for the song but it was still beautiful. 

"That's an epic band name," Minseok said. 

"Yeah these girls are great. I'll play you more of their songs," Luhan responded. He was smiling, and to Minseok it was beautiful. He was already head over heels for this kid. It didn't even make sense. 

"Play another one by them," Minseok said once the first song ended. 

"Ooh, I've already got you hooked," Luhan responded with a smile, scrolling through their album. He pressed play and started singing along. 

"You have a pretty voice," Minseok mumbled into his ear, suddenly feeling very confident. "You're fucking adorable." 

"I haven't been called adorable in a very long time," Luhan admitted. "Hot, yes. Sexy, all the time. But not 'adorable' really. I don't think ever."

"That's a mistake. Because you're fucking adorable,"

Luhan paused for a moment. "I...I can't even believe this is happening." His voice was quiet and soft. "You're just so nice. I wasn't expecting that."

Minseok put out his cigarette. "Well get ready Luhan...because I will be trying my best to be nice to you. All the time."

Luhan smiled, and Minseok realized it had never been so easy before. The two of them just chatted for hours, all about music and movies and stuff that mattered to them. Minseok was never ever this comfortable around people he'd just met, even if he seemed like a cool confident kind of guy. But Luhan made him feel safe and relaxed, not to mention the sparks running through his body whenever they touch. Everything about him was beautiful: his voice, his delicate frame, his perfect face, and Minseok knew he'd really lucked out. He prayed Luhan felt the same way. 

"Shit, it's one am, and I have a morning shift tomorrow."

Minseok couldn't believe that two hours had gone by already. He felt sad though; he had to part with Luhan and at this point it felt like it would be impossible. "What time to get off work?"

"3:30. Can we hang out when you finish school?" Luhan asked, looking nervously at Minseok. 

"Please, yes, of course. But wait, how are you getting home?"

"My car's parked over there." Luhan pointed to an extremely old car, badly painted an obnoxious shade of pink.

Minseok laughed loudly, the sound echoing through the empty strip mall parking lot. "What _is_ that?" 

"My car is cute, okay?" Luhan whined. 

"Let me walk you," Minseok said, and with a grunt they both got up. 

"Not too embarrassed to be seen with the car?"

Minseok lit another cigarette and shook his head. "Not if you're the one driving it."

"You can't be cheesy already," Luhan groaned, stopping in front of the door.

Minseok poked his head inside. "Is that a casette player?"

Luhan laughed. "I know. I make actual mix tapes so I can listen to music in here."

"That's kind of fucking sick," Minseok answered, moving his head from the window. Both of them were leaning against the hot pink car, neither wanting to move away from the other. Minseok looked over at Luhan, unable to resist brushing his pink bangs out of his face. Luhan sucked in a breath, clearly unused to such affectionate gestures. 

"Now is your last chance to back out of this," Luhan said quietly. 

"Are you kidding me?" Minseok gripped Luhan's waist softly and pulled him in for a kiss. Luhan kissed him back immediately, sliding their lips together. The early morning air was freezing but Minseok's mouth was warm and he reeked of cigarettes but somehow, it was hot as fuck. He rested his arms on Minseok's slight shoulders, pressing himself in closer, wanting every inch of the man in front of him. 

Minseok had never kissed like this before. It was electrifying, thrilling, badass. He understood why Yifan couldn't get his lips off of Joonmyeon; after this moment he didn't know if he could ever leave Luhan alone again. His whole mind was purely focused on Luhan, on just _feeling_. 

They pulled away panting, looking at each other with wide eyes. 

"That was crazy," Minseok said. 

"Sex is gonna be great," Luhan answered. Minseok laughed and kissed Luhan again, a smile on both of their lips, hands all over each other. But Minseok pulled away and Luhan sighed. 

"Go sleep. You have work tomorrow."

Luhan pouted but got in the car, sticking his head out of the window after he loaded a cassette in. 

"Thanks for making my life suck a little less," Luhan said with a smile.

Minseok ruffled his bright pink hair. "No problem. That's what I'm here for."

Luhan grinned and drove off, and Minseok walked back to his car in a daze stronger than the buzz of any drug. 


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey guys," Joonmyeon said seriously the next morning while they drove to school. 

"What's up?" Kyungsoo answered, turning to look at his friends. 

"Um...do you guys maybe want to eat lunch with Yifan's friends today?" 

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Jongdae responded, a little too quickly. 

"Are you sure they want to eat with us?" Kyungsoo asked suspiciously. 

"Yeah! It was their idea." He felt a little more confident; even though their groups were so different, Joonmyeon figured they'd get along. 

"As long as they don't think we're too lame to hang out with them then it's cool," Baekhyun said. 

"It's settled then! I'll meet you guys at lunch and show you where we sit." Joonmyeon was grinning from ear to ear and Jongdae also seemed excited, but Baekhyun just stared out the window like he had been the past few days. 

"Baekhyun, are you alright?" Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun cursed himself internally. He really, _really_ didn't want them knowing what was going on. 

"Yeah! I'm fine. I'm super fine." He forced a smile on his face and the others all shared a look as they pulled into the school parking lot. Joonmyeon rushed out to go say hi to Yifan, but the others took their time by the car. 

"Baek," Jongdae said, putting his arm on Baekhyun's shoulder. "You know we'll always be there for you."

"Of course....well, oh look at the time! I have to head to class."

Baekhyun as he quickly departed, noticed Jongdae and Kyungsoo look at each other, shake their heads, and go off to class too. 

The last thing Baekhyun wanted to do was attend class. He looked around, not seeing anyone, and almost ran as far from school as he could. Things, lately, had just been _too much_. 

Just as he was about to walk in the school building and accept his fate, Baekhyun saw the flash of a red car drive by. It stopped right by him and the window rolled down. 

"Do you wanna skip first period?" Chanyeol asked, leaning out the window. Baekhyun blinked twice and wordlessly got in the car. 

When he got inside Chanyeol handed him a starbucks cup, soft music playing over the aux cord. 

"Thanks," Baekhyun said soulessly, taking a sip. Baekhyun looked down at the cup in surprise: it was a pumpkin spice latte, his favorite drink. "How did you know I like these?" 

Chanyeol shrugged and took a sip of his own drink. "It seemed like your thing."

The car was silent except for the stereo after that, the warmth of the coffee and tranquil beats of the music putting Baekhyun in a much better mood. He desperately tried to ignore that being in Chanyeol's presence calmed him too. 

"This is nice," Chanyeol mumbled. 

"For you." Baekhyun winced at his own words: he didn't mean what he'd said. Chanyeol released a haggard sigh and rested his face in his palms. 

"Baekhyun," he spoke softly. Baekhyun looked at him out of the corner of his eye. He looked broken and it pierced through Baekhyun's heart. 

"I am...beyond shameful in myself for the way I treated you all of those years. I just completely fucked myself over, and as much as it may seem like I've suddenly changed because now we're soulmates, I fucking recognized that I was a horrible person all those years but I never did anything and I'm so, so sorry. And I know I shouldn't ever hope to gain your trust or anything but I really, really want to try because you're very lovely. I'm sorry it turned out this way. You deserve so much better than this."

Baekhyun was silent, his eyes avoiding Chanyeol's. 

"You don't have to say anything. You don't have to forgive me, especially not yet. Honestly you don't ever have to forgive me. I just wanted to tell you that."

Suddenly, the loud noise of the bell rang throughout school grounds. Baekhyun turned to Chanyeol, cupping his face and rubbing his hand against his cheek. Chanyeol was about to speak but Baekhyun ignored the electricity in his fingers, running out of Chanyeol's car as fast as his legs would take him. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"Follow me!" Joonmyeon said excitedly, bouncing on the edge of his toes. Jongdae, Kyungsoo, and Baekhyun followed after him through the back areas of their school to the grassy area where Yifan and his friends always ate their lunch. Joonmyeon seemed nervous but excited, and his friends thought it was incredibly sweet. 

"Aren't you supposed to stay in the cafeteria during lunch?" Kyungsoo asked. Joonmyeon shrugged. 

"Wow, he's turning you into a badass!" Baekhyun teased, trying to shake off the confusion of this morning (and his entire life) and just have a good time. 

"These guys have the right idea. The cafeteria is disgusting," Jongdae said. They quickly came upon the clearing where the boys sat, the four of them eating McDonald's and talking loudly with music blaring in the background. 

"Baby," Yifan said, pulling Joonmyeon into his arms and kissing the top of his head. Joonmyeon giggled and blushed, taking his usual seat in between Yifan's legs. His friends just stood there, sharing uncomfortable looks (while still cooing over Joonmyeon and Yifan).

"Joonmyeon are these your friends?" Zitao asked, staring at the upperclassmen. They all shuffled their feet and nervously looked at the ground.

"Oh yeah!" Joonmyeon responded, shaking his head and leaning away from Yifan. Yifan frowned and pulled him back closer. "That's Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, and Jongdae," Joonmyeon introduced. Yifan's friends introduced themselves, and Joonmyeon's friends awkwardly sat down around Joonmyeon and Yifan. 

"What is this song? It's pretty good," Yifan said. 

"It's High St by Daddy Issues. My soulmate showed it to me," Minseok bragged. 

"Since when do you have a soulmate?" Zitao asked. 

"I met him last night. He's that cute cashier from the convenience store. We talked about music and made out next to his car."

"I thought you said he was a dumb ass earlier..." Yifan questioned. 

"Nah. I was being stupid. He's not dumb."

Joonmyeon's friends continued to awkwardly eat. "Any of you guys met your soulmates yet?" Minseok asked.

Baekhyun shook his head a little too quickly. 

"Nope! No way," he responded as cheerfully as he could possibly manage. 

"Dude, it's actually pretty great. I thought Yifan was making it all up," Minseok said. 

"I hope I find mine soon," Zitao whined. The whole group chuckled. 

"I don't. It seems too complicated," Kyungsoo said. 

"What about you? What do you think Jongdae?" Yixing asked, the first time he had spoken for all of lunch. 

"U-um," Jongdae stammered, acting uncharacteristically shy. "W-well I don't know." Jongdae didn't want Yixing to see how worked up he was getting, so he kept his eyes on the ground. This was the first real interaction that he had with the secret crush he'd had since freshman year, and he just could _not_ embarrass himself. 

"Why are you being so weird?," Joonmyeon teased.

Jongdae just blushed more and ate. "Th-this topic is weird alright? God."

Joonmyeon just chuckled under his breath and he shared a look with his other friends, but none noticed Yixing looking at the ground sadly. 

"Does anyone else want to play music?" Minseok asked the group. 

"Me!" Baekhyun responded, some of his usual self confidence returning to him. Kyungsoo and Jongdae groaned. 

"Please don't let him do it; he only listens to songs from musicals," Kyungsoo warned. 

"Too late!" And the opening lyrics of Le Jazz Hot playing through the speaker. Immediately, Zitao started mouthing along. 

"I did not peg you as the kind of person who listens to musical theatre," Joonmyeon said to Zitao. 

"Oh yeah, Zitao likes to pretend he doesn't like it but he secretly has a bunch of musical songs downloaded onto his phone and he blasts the songs and sings them around the house," Yifan said. Zitao rolled his eyes. 

"You like musicals? That's so cool!" Baekhyun said. 

"Well, I mean, I dunno..." 

"Your voice is actually pretty good; you should audition for the fall musical next year," Baekhyun spoke firmly. 

"Really?" Zitao grinned at the thought. 

"Yeah, duh," Baekhyun answered. Suddenly, the bell rang and the boys all sighed, heading off to class. And finally, Baekhyun was feeling just a little bit better. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"So what do you want to do?" Joonmyeon asked Yifan as the two of them walked hand in hand through the parking lot of the school to Yifan's motorcycle. He was beyond excited; the two of them hadn't had a real date in forever (meaning a few days). Lunch time had also gone well, and it made Joonmyeon happy to know that he wouldn't have to sacrifice time with his friends to be with Yifan and visa versa.

Yifan shrugged. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Honestly, I'm pretty tired. So I'm in the mood for something relaxing."

"Are your parents home?" Yifan asked Joonmyeon. Yifan didn't want to have sex with Joonmyeon just yet; he knew he wasn't ready. He just thought it would be nice to hang out at one of their houses, and he had a feeling that Joonmyeon's parents wouldn't approve of him. 

"Yeah," Joonmyeon said sadly. Yifan was glad Joonmyeon knew what he meant, but then again they always seemed to know what the other meant. "Are yours home?"

"I mean, no. And my brother is out with Yixing, so the house is empty."

"Great! Let's go there!" Joonmyeon said excitedly.

Yifan froze. Even though he'd implied it, he wasn't sure if Joonmyeon understood just how poor his family really was. "A-are you sure?" He didn't see how he could get out of the situation without lying to Joonmyeon or getting Joonmyeon to abandon the idea. 

"Yeah I'm sure!"

"Well...alright," Yifan spoke with a sigh, putting Joonmyeon's helmet on and driving off to his house. Since it was on the west side, it was kind of far from school. He knew Joonmyeon wouldn't mind though, because all Joonmyeon could ever talk about was riding on Yifan's motorcycle, and Yifan wanted to stall the moment where Joonmyeon would see where he lived for as long as possible. 

When they finally reached his place he expected Joonmyeon to react at least a little. But Joonmyeon looked at it with his usual adorable face of wonderment, staring at his surroundings as they walked up from the curb where Yifan parked his motorcycle to the kitchen. 

"Your house is so cute!" Joonmyeon said happily, staring at the outdated kitchenware and peeling paint on the walls. "Where's the stairs?"

Yifan chuckled nervously, avoiding Joonmyeon's eyes. "Uh, we don't have those," Yifan admitted. 

"Oh! So it's like a cabin! That's cool," Joonmyeon said, and it sounded so genuine that Yifan kind of wanted to cry. 

"Thanks for being so nice about this," Yifan mumbled.

Joonmyeon just looked at him curiously. "Nice about what?" Yifan looked at him briefly before looking away uncomfortably. "Oh Yifan, I don't care that your family isn't like mine. Why would that make a difference to me? You're the most lovely guy I've ever met," Joonmyeon said.

Yifan exhaled with relief, finally turning around to kiss Joonmyeon. "I am so glad that's the way you feel. Now, do you want fettucini alfredo?"

Joonmyeon smiled wide. "Of course I do!"

Joonmyeon put his things down at the kitchen table, then wandered over to where Yifan was cooking. 

"Can I help you?"

Yifan gently pushed him away. "No way. I'm cooking for you; you should just relax." Joonmyeon back hugged Yifan, burying his face in Yifan's broad back. 

"You're so cute Joonmyeon; you're probably gonna kill me one day," Yifan said, stirring the pasta. 

"I'm glad you like me," Joonmyeon responded shyly, sitting back down at his kitchen table and messing with his phone. 

A while later, Yifan placed a plate down in front of Joonmyeon and set one down for himself. 

"I hope you like it."

Joonmyeon took a bite and stared at Yifan. "This is amazing! Thank you so much! You're an amazing cook." He started cutely stuffing more pasta into his mouth and Yifan's heart swelled with pride, taking a bite of his own. 

The pair just ate, talking and laughing the rest of the afternoon away together. Joonmyeon couldn't believe how close he felt to Yifan already; they hadn't even met a week before. 

"Why is your curfew so damn early," Yifan whined loudly. Joonmyeon checked the time and groaned. 5:45. 

Yifan sighed himself. "Let's get you home."

As sad as Joonmyeon was to part with him, he didn't mind when he realized how much Yifan respected him, even respecting his curfew despite how badly both of them wanted to break it. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as school ended, Minseok was in his van driving as fast as he could to his soulmate's little convenience store. When he got there, Luhan was waiting right for him, and he grinned when he heard Minseok's van barreling down the road. 

"I didn't think you'd show up," Luhan said, his arms crossed but his eyes dancing. 

"Are you going to say that every time?" Minseok asked as he got out of the car. 

"Probably." Minseok smiled at him before quickly pulling him into a hug. Luhan buried his face in Minseok's neck, breathing in Minseok's scent of cigarettes. 

"I missed you a lot," Minseok mumbled in Luhan's ear. 

"Me too," Luhan responded into Minseok's shirt. He pulled away and smiled. "God, isn't it dumb? We've been apart less than a day but I already missed you like if I hadn't seen you in a month."

"It is dumb, and weird too. But it's okay, because it's you."

Luhan chuckled. "I would tease you for being so cheesy but I'm pretty guilty too. C'mon, I have something to give you." Luhan led Minseok a little ways away from the store to his bright pink car, opening the door and reaching inside. 

"I-I made this for you."All of Luhan's confidence from earlier was gone and replaced by shyness as he handed Minseok a bright pink cassette tape. On it was written _Bad-ass songs by chicks, from Lu_ with a little drawing of a heart. "I figured you probably don't have a cassette player but they're kind of my thing so I made it for you anyways."

Minseok absolutely beamed. "I've always wanted a mixtape from someone. And we can listen to it in your car." Luhan smiled back at him softly. "You really like pink don't you?"

His eyes darted from Luhan's car to his hair to his cassette tape. 

"I love pink," Luhan responded, but was then silent for a moment. "I'm glad you like it," he said quietly.

He opened the door to the back seat, getting inside. Minseok followed right behind. Luhan popped the cassette tape into the car stereo, the rough sounds of nineties grunge blasting from the car through the parking lot. 

"Okay, this is fucking great," Minseok said, looking at his surroundings. Clearly the car was made at least twenty five years ago and it didn't smell great, but Luhan kept it relatively clean. 

"You can smoke if you want; I don't care." Clearly, he'd noticed Minseok fidgeting with his back pocket. Minseok breathed a sigh of relief, pulling out a cig and his lighter. 

"Let me," Luhan mumbled, flicking on Minseok's lighter and putting the fire on the edge of Minseok's cigarette. He breathed in the smoke and exhaled quickly, the smoke circulating through the car. Minseok brushed his fingers through Luhan's hair down to the back of his neck, pulling him in for a deep kiss. Luhan sighed because it felt so _right_ and kissed back, his touches languid despite his desperation for more. Luhan pressed their bodies closer together, desperate for the charge of skin to skin contact, his lips sparked up with energy and he just wanted to share it with Minseok. He honestly just wanted to share everything with Minseok: his mind, body, and soul. It was confusing, since Luhan hadn't let himself fall for anybody in a very long time, but it felt good. He was so afraid Minseok would just pick up and leave him, like everyone else had done before him, but he found himself slowly trusting the short punky boy more and more. 

Clearly, Minseok wanted more but pulled away before he couldn't stop himself, taking another drag of his cigarette. 

"I'm not fucking you for the first time here. It's gonna be in a real bed..nice and classy. You deserve that," Minseok said, his tone rougher than before. 

"I'm the opposite of classy, Minseok. You can fuck me here and I won't mind." 

"Tempting," Minseok said, cocking his eyebrow in a way that made heat pool in the base of Luhan's stomach. "But no. I'm fucking you in a real bed or at least a couch, at least for the first time."

"You're so nice," Luhan mumbled. 

"I'm not kind, I'm just decent. I don't know what kinds of guys you dated before me, but they definitely weren't decent." 

Luhan laughed. "You're probably right about the decent guy thing, but I still stand by the fact that you're one of the good ones. I don't make mix tapes for just anyone."

Minseok smiled and kissed Luhan's cheek, twisting his fingers through his hair. They lost track of time like that; laying in the back of Luhan's shitty car, making out and talking and experiencing whatever this soulmate thing was supposed to be. 


	8. Chapter 8

"Ugh," Zitao groaned. His freshman english teacher was, as usual, giving the class yet _another_ essay to do. Zitao knew he would bullshit it and get a C, like usual, but the pressure of having an essay to do usually got to him. Even though he didn't try hard at school, he still at least wanted to pass. 

His only consolation was the adorable boy who sat in front of him. Even though he couldn't see Sehun's face very often, he had a _very_ attractive back of his head. Zitao thought a lot of boys at school were cute, and had developed little crushes on, but Sehun was probably his favorite. Especially after the whole soulmate thing, he'd been even more attracted to Sehun. He hadn't skipped a single english class since just so he could be in Sehun's presence. 

Sadly, Sehun _obviously_ did not reciprocate Zitao's affections. He generally ignored Zitao whenever he tried to speak to him and kept his head down around him. Zitao couldn't decide if Sehun was just shy or if he was creeped out by him, but Zitao didn't really care. He was used to this sort of reaction from his crushes. 

The teacher began to hand out the rubric for the essay, and Zitao got excited. Whenever the teacher handed out papers, Zitao would pretend he didn't know what was going on and ask Sehun for what the teacher had said. 

The rubric papers moved down the rows and finally got into Sehun's hand. Zitao had the sudden urge to reach out and touch Sehun, so much that he could barely control himself. But Zitao didn't want to seem weird, so he schemed up the perfect plan to touch him.

When Sehun passed the paper backed towards Zitao, he took his opportunity. Reaching out to grab the rubric from Sehun, he accidentally-on-purpose brushed their fingers. 

What he was _not_ expecting was the sudden rush of adrenaline moving throughout his body. His fingertips felt like they'd just been electrocuted, but in a good way, and the feeling spread all over his body. His feelings from earlier made sense all of the sudden, but Zitao couldn't help but be overjoyed. How did he get so lucky? 

"Oh," A soft voice spoke. Zitao couldn't see Sehun's face but he knew he'd been the one who said it. The tips of his ears were pink and his head was fixed on the table. Zitao frowned immediately, realizing his happiness was probably not returned by Sehun.

Even though it was only halfway through class, Sehun picked up his things and left the room. Zitao watched him go past, but did nothing. 

The rest of class passed in a blur as Zitao's mind raced over what had just happened. He'd been waiting ever since the news broke to find his soulmate, and he had been so jealous of Yifan and Minseok as their relationships progressed with their soulmates. He had even secretly hoped it would be one of his little crushes. But to realize how little Sehun wanted him back left him in a state of depression. 

After class was over, Zitao slowly walked into the hallway to find his brother waiting for him. 

"Let's go," Yifan said. He looked his brother over and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you at lunch. You can leave without me; I have to use the bathroom." Yifan ruffled his little brother's hair and wearing a concerned expression, left him.

Zitao dejectedly walked into the boy's bathroom, dropping his backpack onto the floor and looking at his hair in the mirror. He didn't actually have to use the restroom; instead he just wanted to touch up his appearance and get a few moments alone. 

Only one of the stalls was taken up, and Zitao heard strange noises coming from it. He furrowed his eyebrows, trying to decipher the noises: the crinkling of wrappers, the noise he could only describe as _chewing..._ and he realized that the person was _eating_ in there. 

"Hey other person in the stall!" Zitao said awkwardly. Even though he was down at the moment, he didn't like the idea that someone was lonely enough to eat in the boy's bathroom by themselves. "You don't have to eat lunch in there. Me and my friends don't care who you are or what you're like, you can totally eat lunch with us. It's super chill. My friends won't mind. You'll have a great time!"

The noise of eating stopped and he heard the person gathering their things. The door opened and Zitao turned to see who it was. 

"Um-" Sehun said awkwardly, reaching for the door out of the bathroom. 

"Please, come and eat lunch with me and my friends," Zitao said pleadingly. Sehun took a breath, in and out, and put his arm down. Zitao gathered his things and stood next to Sehun, leading him towards their usual lunch spot. 

"Do you always eat lunch in there?" Zitao asked. 

"Yeah."

Zitao frowned and they were silent the rest of the walk up. 

"You're late," Yifan said when they finally reached the spot. 

"This is Sehun," Zitao said, ignoring his brother as they sat down. 

"Oh, the one with the attractive back of his head!" Yixing said. 

"Yixing!" Zitao whined, and Sehun darted his eyes toward them with a soft blush dusting his cheekbones. Sehun sat down next to Zitao, scooting closer to him and away from the large group of guys at the grassy spot. All of the guys introduced themselves, and Sehun gave them a little wave before starting to eat his lunch while curled up in a little ball. 

"Ugh, I'm so mad. Luhan has a really late shift tonight and then an earlier one in the morning, so I can only see him for a few hours. Look at what he gave me yesterday," Minseok said, whipping the pink cassette tape out of his pocket. 

"Is that a pink cassette tape?" Yifan asked. 

"Cassette tapes are his thing."

"Pink cassette tapes?" Baekhyun questioned. 

"Well, pink is also his thing. His hair is dyed pink and his car is this disgusting shade of pink too."

"He sounds kinda weird," Kyungsoo mumbled. 

"You all will have to meet him soon," Minseok answered. Somehow, Yifan and Joonmyeon's friend groups were mixing really well. 

"At least your boyfriend isn't a big name on student council and also a man with the curfew of a five year old," Yifan said, holding Joonmyeon's closer to him. 

"Yeah, this is the last time we'll see each other today. Plus, me and Kyungsoo are stuck with all of the football guys at the dance committee meeting today," Joonmyeon added.

Kyungsoo groaned. "Please don't remind me of them."

"Who do you hate the most: Jungkook, Haechan, or Jongin?" Jongdae asked Kyungsoo teasingly. 

"Hey! I know the football guys are annoying but Jongin isn't that bad. We're acquaintances," Zitao said. 

"I disagree completely. He's annoying as hell," Kyungsoo responded. 

"I don't know, he is the least bad out of the football guys on the committee," Joonmyeon retorted. 

"That's not much of a compliment though," Minseok said with a laugh. 

"Yeah, they're all awful," Yifan added. Baekhyun kept his mouth shut, unsure of whether he wanted to roast Chanyeol beyond anything or defend him.

The boys talked animatedly for the rest of lunch, getting along like they'd known each other they're entire lives. Sehun was still completely silent, but Zitao notice his shoulders and face relax, where they'd been tense when they first sat down. 

When the bell finally rang, Sehun turned to Zitao. He was playing with his fingers and his eyes were glued to the ground, but Zitao could tell his cheeks were pink. 

"Th-thanks f-for letting me eat lunch with you," he stammered. 

"It's no problem at all! I'm glad you were there." He smiled, just happy that Sehun was actually talking to him. 

"Thanks," he repeated with an awkward laugh. 

"You can eat lunch with us all the time if you want."

"R-really?" He quickly looked up at Zitao though with surprise, but looked away just as fast. 

"Of course," Zitao answered. 

"Thanks," he said again before running away from the group to his next class. Zitao chuckled, watching him go by. 

"What was that all about?" Yifan asked, striding over to his brother. 

"See that cutie right there?" Zitao said, gesturing to Sehun's slowly disappearing frame. Yifan nodded. 

"He's my soulmate." 

~~~~~~~~~~

After school, as Zitao was heading to the parking lot wait for his brother (and avoid seeing Joonmyeon and Yifan passionately hug each other, since they somehow hadn't even made out yet), he saw Sehun waiting on the curb. Sehun noticed his presence immediately, giving Zitao a little smile and wave that didn't seem like he was annoyed. Zitao took that as an invitation to sit down next to Sehun. 

"Hello," Zitao said with a smile. He was already a pretty cheerful person, but it perked him up even more to be next to his soulmate. 

"H-hi," Sehun answered, looking down at the pavement. 

"What's up?" Zitao asked.

Sehun shrugged. "I'm waiting for my mom." 

"She drives you home from school? That's so sweet!"

"Yeah. H-how do you get home?" 

"My brother or Minseok drive me," Zitao explained. Sehun nodded again and looked at the floor. "Thank god it's Friday, right?" 

"Not really," Sehun answered quietly. 

"Why not?"

"Because then I won't get to see you until Sunday," Sehun responded, so quietly and quickly that Zitao couldn't hear what he'd said. 

"What?" 

"Nothing," Sehun responded. "Y-you're right."

Zitao sighed and looked down at his phone. "We should exchange numbers. So we can get to know each other."

Sehun perked up but still shyly turned away from Zitao, handing him his phone. They put their numbers in each other's contacts, putting their phones back into their pockets. Sehun's eyes darted back towards Zitao's face but quickly turned away, blushing so hard. It made Zitao's heart melt. He didn't like that he couldn't touch Sehun yet, or even just sit closer to him, but he wanted to give Sehun his space. 

They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes before a mini-van pulled up outside of the school. 

"That's my mom," Sehun said, grabbing his stuff. 

"Bye for now then," Zitao answered, flashing a smile at Sehun. Sehun managed to look up at him and smile back before running back towards the car. Zitao watched it drive off and wandered back towards the parking lot, a dazed grin on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~

Later that evening, when he and Yifan were sitting in their bunk beds, Yifan was complaining about how he couldn't see Joonmyeon (like usual). Zitao was bored so he grabbed his phone. He had a few missed texts and surprisingly, they were all from Sehun. 

_Hey it's Sehun,_ the first one said. 

_I'm sorry I'm so weird I'm just really shy and it's hard for me to talk to new people. I wish I could've told you that in person but I always get really red and mess up my words when I talk about serious stuff so I didn't want to but yeah._ Relief immediately washed over Zitao when he realized that Sehun didn't hate him. 

_Sorry,_ the final one read.

Zitao pouted and typed out a response. _Don't worry about it! I'm just glad you don't hate me_

"Are you even listening to me?" Yifan said. 

"Yeah, yeah, blah blah blah, Joonmyeon's skin is as soft as silk, whatever."

"It really is," Yifan said dreamily. "But that's not what I was talking about! I was describing what it was like to gently press our lips together."

"You've gone so soft," Zitao teased. "I can't believe you guys haven't even made out yet."

Yifan sighed. "I know, I just don't want him to do anything he's not ready for." 

"Dude, I'm a full year younger than him and I've made out with a couple guys."

"Well that was because _I_ set you up. You really wanted to have your first kiss before high school started so I made that happen for you." 

"You're right dude."

"Anyways, what were you doing?" Yifan asked.

A smile immediately bloomed on his face. "I was texting Sehun." 

"Ooh," Yifan said teasingly. "How's that going?"

"Well, I was really nervous at first because it seemed like he didn't like me but he just texted me and told me that he's just shy," Zitao explained. 

"Yeah he seemed painfully shy today at lunch. But I think he had a good time."

"Me too."

"How did you get him to come?" Yifan asked. 

"Oh, man, it broke my heart. Apparently he's been eating lunch in the _bathroom_ since school started. I heard someone eating in the bathroom and invited them to lunch. I didn't even know it was him."

"That's so sad! He must've been too shy to make friends."

"I guess. It's really sad though. We're going to be his friends now. Promise me you'll be nice to him?" 

"Of course. You guys have been so good to Myeonie and his friends."

"Myeonie? Really?" 

"Fuck off," Yifan mumbled. 

"Isn't it weird how well we get along with Joonmyeon's friends though?"

"I know!" Yifan cried. "We just match up well."

"Yeah, me and Baekhyun get along especially well," Zitao said. 

"You two can be your gay stereotype selves together."

"Yifan, _you're_ gay."

"Excuse me, I'm bisexual," Yifan said. 

"Yifan, everyone we know is gay."

"That's true."

"Anyways though, have you noticed Yixing and Jongdae?" Zitao asked.

"No. What do you mean?"

"There's some weird energy going on between them." 

"Come to think of it, you're right. Jongdae seemed super confident that day he and Joonmyeon met up with me at work, but he always seems pretty shy at lunch."

"And yesterday, Yixing told me he thought Jongdae was cute," Zitao added. 

"Hmm. I could see them together."

"Me too, for sure." 

"Oh god, Kyungsoo is going to be a mess when he finds his soulmate though," Yifan spoke with a laugh.

Zitao laughed along with him. "Yeah he is. He does not seem to like the idea of a soulmate." 

"Do you think Baekhyun has a soulmate? He always seems to get really quiet when we talk about it..."

"Hm, I don't really know. I wonder..." Zitao responded. The boys were silent for a while, thinking about their funny new friends. 

"When do you think we can meet Luhan?" Yifan asked. 

"Minseok said Luhan will come to his concert next week. They seem to have the same taste in music." 

"Speaking of music, let me put something on," Yifan said, turning on his speaker. The opening chords of some early 2000's pop punk began to play. 

"It's sweet though. Minseok clearly really likes him."

"You all tease me about going soft, but have you even seen Minseok? It's weird!"

"I guess, it's just that Minseok and Luhan are soon to be sexually active and you're desperately protecting Joonmyeon's virginity," Zitao teased. Zitao couldn't see Yifan roll his eyes. 

"God, I'm just trying to be nice alright?"

"Dude, I'm just teasing. It's so sweet that you're so nice to him. Ten out of ten unexpected move from the manwhore of Morrisville."

"If any of you guys tell Joonmyeon that 'manwhore of Morrisville' was my nickname I will literally slit your throats. I want him to think well of me. And I don't want his parents thinking I'm shit," Yifan said. Zitao noticed the tone of his voice drop. 

"Yeah. That might be awkward."

"Me and Joonmyeon ended up hanging out here yesterday. He didn't make a fuss or anything and in fact, he was super sweet. It made me feel a lot better about our differences. But still, I'm nervous about his parents. I don't want anything to come between us, but Joonmyeon's really close to them so if his parents don't approve...I don't know who he'd chose. And it would be horrible to want him to chose me." 

"What are you boys talking about?" The two heard a woman's voice ask. 

"Mom!" Zitao and Yifan cried, hopping out of bed to hug their mother. She was home early from her shift; usually they were asleep by the time she got home. 

"Hi boys," she responded tiredly. 

"How are you?" Yifan asked, going into the kitchen to make her some food. 

"I should ask the same of you," she responded in her rough voice. "I heard something about a boy being over and his parents not approving."

Yifan sighed, frying up a pancake. "Have you heard about the whole soulmate thing?" Yifan asked. 

"Of course I have honey. Kids fucking each other left and right, right?"

"I mean it's so much more than that..." Yifan mumbled. 

"I know, I know," she grumbled back

"Yifan met his," Zitao said in a teasing voice. Yifan tried to hide his blushing face. "And get this: he's from the east side, and he's sophomore student body president."

Their mother was silent for a few moments. "Oh my god, you're going to ruin him. Zitao, has he ruined him?"

"Actually, he's been really sweet." 

"That's good news," she answered. 

"At least mr. socially awkward noodle boy isn't my soulmate," Yifan retorted. 

"Hey!" Zitao cried. 

"They only met today," Yifan clarified. Their mother nodded. 

"So Yifan, you said this kid visited our house?"

"Yeah, I just made him pasta though. He was really nice about it. He didn't make me feel bad."

She thought for a moment. "I guess if he's already seen the house than there's no point in holding him off any longer. I'd love to meet him. I have the day off tomorrow too."

"Really?" Yifan asked. He had wanted Joonmyeon to meet his mother for a little while now, but it was rare that she had any free time. She was one of the most important people in Yifan's life. 

"Of course." Yifan perked up, running off to his phone to go call his boyfriend. She turned to Zitao. 

"I guess he is a changed man."


	9. Chapter 9

Joonmyeon was beyond nervous. Last night Yifan had called him excitedly, begging him to come over tomorrow evening so he could meet his mom. They'd only been together for a week, but it was clear that Yifan's mom meant a lot to him so Joonmyeon agreed. He didn't really want to meet her yet; if he could've postponed it he would: the very idea was just so nervewracking. But Yifan had been so lovely to him, so he agreed to come. 

Yifan said he would pick Joonmyeon up right at five, so they could hang out for a little while before dinner time, and he kept his word. The sound of the motorcycle's engine filled his ears and despite his anxiety, he rushed out the door. He missed Yifan a lot. 

"I'm hanging out with my friends!" Joonmyeon yelled to his parents as he grabbed his jacket. 

"Alright honey! Be home before eight," His mother responded. 

He ran across the pavement straight into Yifan's arms, snuggling up into his chest. Twenty four hours was much too long to be without him. 

"Baby I missed you," Yifan spoke into Joonmyeon's hair, kissing the top of his head. 

"Oh I missed you too," Joonmyeon mumbled into his chest. They pulled away and Yifan beamed at him. 

"I am so, so excited."

"Me too," Joonmyeon lied. Yifan frowned and grabbed Joonmyeon's hands. 

"Myeonie, there's no reason to be nervous. She'll love you." Joonmyeon perked up a little bit at his words. He loved how in tune they were with each other's feelings. 

Yifan put the helmet on Joonmyeon and they got on the motorcycle. Joonmyeon sighed as they drove past the huge buildings in his neighborhood, twisting and turning down the lined out suburban roads, moving to the opposite side of town. He had missed this feeling so much. He could never tell if he just loved riding motorcycles or if it was that he was so close to Yifan, touching his waist, absorbing the sparks running through their young bodies. It made him feel alive. 

When they finally got to Yifan's house Joonmyeon clung to Yifan, gripping his hand tightly. Yifan bent down to kiss Joonmyeon's soft cheek before unlocking his door. 

"Mom! We're here!" Yifan called out, and Joonmyeon's heart warmed at the happiness in his voice. The sound of slippers padding against linoleum filled Joonmyeon's ears as an older woman rushed to the door. 

"Hello Yifan," she said, hugging her son tightly. She turned to Joonmyeon and he panicked, looking down at his feet uncomfortably. She was dressed in soft sweatpants and a t-shirt, with her hair in a bun. Joonmyeon's mother usually looked more put together, wearing expensive dresses and designer purses wherever she went, but Yifan's mother looked more warm and friendly. 

"You must be Joonmyeon," she said with a big smile, and Joonmyeon felt more comfortable already. "It's very nice to meet you." She reached over and hugged Joonmyeon, and after a moment he hugged back. 

"It's nice to meet you too." As Joonmyeon gazed at the floor she looked the two of them over and smiled again. 

"You two go. I won't bother you guys any more."

"Thanks mom," Yifan responded with a huge smile. Joonmyeon smiled at her. Yifan interlaced his and Joonmyeon's fingers and walked off to his room. 

Yifan shut and locked the door behind him and grinned. Zitao had gone to hang out with his friends, so he and Joonmyeon were alone. 

"Your mom is so friendly," Joonmyeon said quietly, with a soft smile on his face. 

"Just wait until dinner. She's gonna grill you," Yifan responded with a chuckle. 

"Is your dad working tonight?" Yifan frowned and turned away, looking at something at his desk as Joonmyeon took a seat on his bed. 

"I-I don't have a dad," he responded quietly. Joonmyeon blushed and looked away immediately, embarrassed at himself for being so insensitive.

"I-I'm sorry," he said. 

"No it's okay, it's not your fault."

"No, I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"It's fine. It would've come up eventually." Yifan got up and sat down next to Joonmyeon on the bed, wrapping his arm around him. Joonmyeon rested his head on Yifan's shoulder. 

A moment of silence passed before Yifan spoke again. "He disappeared after my mom got pregnant with Zitao. I don't even remember what he looks like. But," he paused to sigh, "it's okay. I love my mom to death. I don't need another parent, although I do hope one day she can get into a relationship with someone who will treat her right." Joonmyeon said nothing, but Yifan didn't mind. He knew he was just processing and it was okay. 

"You've been through a lot in your life," Joonmyeon eventually spoke, reaching for Yifan's hand. "You're very brave." Yifan smiled softly, lifting Joonmyeon's chin to look into his eyes. Joonmyeon looked back, the intensity of his stare sending a shiver down his spine. Even though they were barely touching the electricity was almost too much, and he closed his eyes before he would explode. But Yifan took that as a signal to kiss him so he immediately felt soft lips upon his own. Joonmyeon kissed back, adjusting himself so his body was facing Yifan's. 

Joonmyeon clutched Yifan's shoulders while Yifan held the back of his head steady. They had never kissed this long before and Joonmyeon could feel heat rising within him. Their mouths were slicking up and Joonmyeon couldn't help but press himself closer, as if gravity was pulling him closer to the man he was already falling in love with. 

Joonmyeon was surprised when he felt Yifan's tongue swipe at his lower lip and he opened his mouth, letting Yifan in. Joonmyeon took Yifan's lead, not quite sure what to do but learning quickly when the two of them slid their tongues together. Joonmyeon felt a spike in his abdomen, just adding to the many sensations he had never felt before. He'd never been with someone like this before and it made him feel so nervous, so aroused, so electric, so _alive_. 

Joonmyeon's arm was trembling from holding him up for so long and from all of the sparks flowing through him so when Yifan pressed Joonmyeon down into the mattress, he gave immediately. The feelings within him were even more acute when Yifan's large, warm body was pressed right up against his own and Yifan's calloused hands were tracing along his waist and thighs. Joonmyeon realized his hands were awkwardly by his sides, so he ran his fingers through Yifan's hair. 

They broke apart for air, breaths loud and fanning against each other's faces, but Yifan leaned back in soon after. Joonmyeon lifted up to meet his mouth, opened mouthed and uncontrolled. Suddenly, Yifan's hand slipped under Joonmyeon's polo shirt, gently running his thumb over Joonmyeon's bare flesh. Joonmyeon felt so warm and good and he wanted to touch too, wanted to feel Yifan's bare skin on his fingers. 

He reached underneath Yifan's top, his hands feeling Yifan's strong abdomen and Yifan released a surprised moan into Joonmyeon's mouth. The noise sent heat pooling in Joonmyeon's stomach but Yifan was pulling away quickly. 

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" Yifan grumbled in Joonmyeon's ear, his voice deep and rough. It had Joonmyeon biting his wet, swollen lip as Yifan kissed the line of Joonmyeon's jaw down to his neck. He sucked at the skin, pressing Joonmyeon's neck against his mouth and Joonmyeon whimpered because it kind of hurt but it felt _so_ good. 

Yifan repeated it, two or three more times, but Joonmyeon had lost count because his mind had descended into a haze of Yifan and feeling. Yifan finished and kissed Joonmyeon again and it was perfectly sloppy. He pressed his entire body down into Joonmyeon, and Joonmyeon blushed bright red when he felt Yifan's hardness against his own. It sent a shot of arousal through his body, and he was glad to know Yifan was as worked up as he was, but it was too much and he pulled away. 

Joonmyeon sat down on the edge of the bed and panted, mind whirling at what he'd just experienced. 

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, his body still flushed. Yifan sat up next to him, holding his hand gently in a way that contrasted completely with what they were doing before. 

"Please don't be sorry. I want you to be ready for everything we do," Yifan responded. 

"Th-that was....nice."

"You liked that? I'm glad." Yifan squeezed his hand and smiled at him. "Maybe you should splash some water of your face. It'll clear your head." 

"That's a good idea. Where's the bathroom?" Yifan directed him to the sink and he left, splashing the freezing cold water onto his face. He looked up into the mirror and gasped. He was a mess: his skin was still pink, his eyes were blown wide, his lips were swollen and _what were those bruises on his neck?_ He sighed at himself and shook his head, trying to will his boner away at least a little before going back into Yifan's room. 

When he walked back in Yifan was laying across his bed, his length still half erect. When he noticed Joonmyeon come back he smiled, but his hand reached over to try and cover himself. 

"Wh-what are these?" Joonmyeon asked, rubbing his neck uncomfortably. 

"Oh." Yifan laughed. "Those are hickies baby."

Joonmyeon nodded in understanding, and he would've blushed if he wasn't already pink. 

"I can't believe I'm going to eat dinner with your mom with hickies on my neck," Joonmyeon whined quietly. 

"She won't care. But if you want I'll help you cover them a bit."

Joonmyeon nodded vigorously, rubbing his neck. Yifan grabbed a hoodie out of his cabinet, handing it to Joonmyeon. Joonmyeon put it on and it was soft and warm and it kind of smelled like Yifan. 

"This is mine now," Joonmyeon mumbled. Yifan took the laces of the hoodie and tied them into a bow, effectively covering Joonmyeon's neck with the hood. 

"Boys! Dinner time!" Yifan's mother called from the kitchen. Joonmyeon adjusted the hoodie and smiled, and Yifan grabbed Joonmyeon's hand. They walked into the kitchen, and at the kitchen table was a plate of homemade mac and cheese. 

"This looks delicious!" Joonmyeon exclaimed. Yifan's mother smiled and sat down at the head of the table. 

"It's nothing, I promise. Dig in!" The boys started eating, Joonmyeon adjusting Yifan's hoodie to make absolutely sure his neck was covered. 

"This is really good. Thank you so much!" Joonmyeon said kindly. 

"It's no problem. I heard you're on student council or something?" The woman asked after a few moments. 

Joonmyeon nodded. "Yeah, I'm on a sophomore student body," 

"So you're a few years younger?"

Joonmyeon nodded. 

"How did you two even meet?"

"We bumped into each other in the hallway by accident," Yifan explained. 

"You were at school?" His mother teased. 

"Yes mom, I'm not _that_ bad of a student."

"Joonmyeon, how often do you skip class?" She asked. 

"I've never skipped class before," Joonmyeon mumbled.

"See Yifan," she teased. Yifan chuckled and went back to eating. "Speaking of delinquents, where is your brother?" 

Yifan shrugged. "I think he's out with Yixing." 

"So I should expect him back stoned?"

"Nah, we don't let him smoke. He's a freshman for fucks sake," Yifan responded. Joonmyeon grimaced when Yifan swore in front of his mother, but she didn't seem to care at all. It was strange to him; his parents would ground him for even saying _damn_ aloud. 

Joonmyeon spent the rest of dinner chatting with Yifan and his mother, feeling more and more comfortable as time went on. It warmed Joonmyeon's heart to see how close he was to his mother, and he felt himself falling for the boy more and more.

When it was time to go, Joonmyeon offered to do the dishes, but it was seven thirty and Yifan really did not want him to miss his curfew. Joonmyeon hugged his mom goodbye and hopped onto the motorcycle. 

They rode along in silence, the wind flowing through Joonmyeon's hair perfectly. When they got to Joonmyeon's house, Yifan turned back towards him. 

"She really likes you, I promise. I could tell."

Joonmyeon beamed with pride as Yifan caressed his cheek. "She's so nice! And you guys are really close."

"My mom is one of my best friends." Joonmyeon smiled up at him, not wanting to leave. Yifan checked his phone. 

"You're going to be late..." Joonmyeon said sadly, frowning and reaching up to kiss Yifan. Yifan kissed back but pulled away quickly, kissing his cheek. 

"Go baby. I'll see you so soon." Joonmyeon smiled at him and ran away before he could fight it. 

When he got in his house, his mother came to greet him. 

"Did you already eat?" She asked. Joonmyeon nodded and smiled. "Whose sweatshirt is that?"

Joonmyeon forgot that he was wearing it and blushed. "Um, it's Jongdae's..."

"It looks a little big for him..."

"Oversized is in right now!" Joonmyeon answered, running up to his room. He didn't take the hoodie off until it was time to sleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It was eleven o'clock at night, and Minseok's band was still practicing in Minseok's basement. Their concert was only a week away, and they had to be prepared. 

Luhan was draped across Minseok's couch, watching the band practice while checking his phone. The rest of Vaguely Nauseous didn't want anyone else seeing their set, but Minseok needed moral support. He couldn't be too long without Luhan at this point, and the band knew he would be a wreck without him. 

"I think we're good for the night," the lead singer called. The group sighed with relief, packing up their things and heading out of Minseok's house. 

"How was I?" Minseok answered, laying on top of Luhan on the old couch. 

"Perfect. I didn't realize how talented you are." Minseok chuckled and turned away, not used to being complimented. Minseok leaned over, pressing his lips against Luhan's gently. Luhan kissed back and ran his fingers through Minseok's orange locks, his skin sheen from playing hard for so many hours. By contrast, Luhan was freezing cold, but Minseok knew he was going to warm him up soon. 

Minseok didn't waste time lifting Luhan's shirt over his head, exhaustion and electricity and Luhan's beautiful body sending all inhibitions out the window. Luhan did the same, looking over Minseok's body. 

"You're fit," he said simply, and pressed himself against Minseok before he could even respond. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Luhan and Minseok were naked and panting. There were wet splotches on the bed. Hickies lined Luhan's neck and collarbones, and there was a soreness in his lower back that wouldn't go away for a day, at least. 

"Wow," Luhan said. 

"That was..." 

"Fucking great." They looked at each other and laughed. 

"I knew it was gonna be good, because of the whole soulmate sparks thing and because you're clearly not some virgin but _damn_ ," Minseok said. 

"Exactly." Luhan sat up at groaned. "God I'm gross."

"You can shower here if you want. In fact, it's midnight anyways. You should probably just spend the night."

"Your parents won't mind?" 

"No way. They're used to it by now." Luhan chuckled and stood up, wincing and looking around. 

"Bathroom is down there," Minseok said, pointing to a door in the far left corner of the basement. Luhan walked in and locked the door behind him, turning the shower almost as hot as it would go. He sighed as he stepped in, the hot water washing away the sweat and other _fluids_ on his skin. It cleared his mind from that electric feeling and let him just think. 

Luhan was surprised at himself. He was usually a sex on the first date kind of guy (because there usually wasn't a second date). Waiting to do it for four days wouldn't seem like a lot to most people, but to Luhan it was crazy. It made him feel like he actually meant something to Minseok, and he hadn't meant anything to anyone in a long time.

When Luhan finished showering and stepped out of the bathroom, a pair of boxers, pj pants, and hoodie were waiting for him, and they were slightly warm. Luhan put them on and even though they were a bit small, he'd never worn anything more cozy. 

He flopped back on the couch next to Minseok, snuggling up to him. Usually after sex, the guy would push him away, but Minseok just pulled him in closer and kissed the top of his head. 

"Thanks for the clothes, and for heating them up." 

Minseok shrugged. "It's really nothing. It just seems like you get cold easily so I threw some clothes on top of the heater for you." Luhan smiled genuinely and rested his head on Minseok's chest. 

"That's so sweet," he mumbled. 

"It's really nothing." Minseok interlaced their fingers, holding Luhan close. 

"Minseok is everyone gone?" Luhan heard a woman's voice yell. 

"Luhan is spending the night!" Minseok responded. There was a pause. 

"Use a condom!" She yelled down to them. Both laughed for a moment. 

"Wait, your mom knows about me?" Luhan asked nervously. 

"Yeah. Usually I don't tell her stuff about my personal life, but...I don't know, I just kinda want to talk about you all the time. And my friends are sick of it. They just want to meet you at this point." Luhan blushed, not used to being treated this way. 

"Will your friends like me?" Luhan asked in a way that was filled with uncharacteristic nervousness. 

"I promise you they will." Minseok brushed some of Luhan's hair out of his face and Luhan sighed, tracing infinity signs on Minseok's chest. Minseok reached under his hoodie, caressing Luhan's back. 

"This hoodie looks better on you. Keep it."

Luhan beamed, kissing Minseok deeply. Minseok pulled Luhan closer, pressing their bodies together. 

"Already?" Luhan mumbled against his lips. 

"Of course," Minseok answered, and he couldn't resist Luhan's lips any longer. 


	10. Chapter 10

It was three am. Again. And Baekhyun was lying awake in his bed. Again. 

He hadn't spoken to Chanyeol since they'd skipped first period together on Thursday, and the emotional weight of spending so much time without his soulmate was hitting Baekhyun _hard_. He hated it, how much he needed to spend time with Chanyeol. He hated it more than anything. It was unfair that he could feel himself falling for the boy who had tortured him for so long. It was unfair that he could feel himself _weakening_. 

The sound of a car engine pulling up next to Baekhyun's house pulled him from his thoughts, and he ran to his window to see what was going on. It was Chanyeol's car. Again. And of course, Baekhyun rushed out to see him. Again. 

He hopped into the passenger seat of Chanyeol's car, as angry with himself as he was with Chanyeol. Chanyeol wordlessly handed Baekhyun a box of curly fries and he ate them in silence. 

"I'm glad you actually came. I thought I was going to die," Chanyeol said with an ironic chuckle. Baekhyun knew exactly what he meant; he couldn't even leave the house that day because his body was so weak. He hated that his body felt cured just by being in Chanyeol's presence, how this whole soulmate thing made him so completely dependent on the boy he wanted to hate. Baekhyun put the empty box at his feet, staring out the front window with his arms crossed. 

"C-Can I touch you?" Chanyeol asked pleadingly. Baekhyun wanted to give in so badly; his body was physically aching with how much he needed to feel Chanyeol against him. But then again, part of Baekhyun was still waiting for the day when Chanyeol would stop being so decent and lash out at him or _hurt_ him. He hated and loved Chanyeol but still another part was scared of him. 

Baekhyun sighed and furrowed his eyebrows, wanting the aching in his heart to go away. 

"Fine," he said angrily. Chanyeol sighed bit his lip, turning to face Baekhyun. Baekhyun was leaning against the car door but he moved closer to Chanyeol, unable to resist his body's gravitational pull any longer. 

Chanyeol's hand came up and he tucked a lock of hair behind Baekhyun's ear before gently cupping his face and caressing his cheek with his thumb. Unable to hide the blush on his face, Baekhyun looked away from Chanyeol, everywhere but at his face. It always surprised him how gently Chanyeol treated him now that they were soulmates, since he'd never thought of Chanyeol as a gentle person before. 

Chanyeol leaned in closer and Baekhyun followed his lead, too tired to stand his ground as Chanyeol kissed him softly. This was only the second time they'd really kissed, the first being when Chanyeol showed up at Baekhyun's in the early hours of the morning, but this was so different. Chanyeol was gentle, loving, taking his time, not pushing anything too far and it made Baekhyun so confused he could cry. 

He pulled away breathing heavily, hanging his head down. Chanyeol did the same, their foreheads touching as Baekhyun tried to collect himself. He wanted more. He wanted to kiss Chanyeol back gently. He wanted to be held by him. But he _couldn't_. 

"Are you okay?" Chanyeol mumbled.

Baekhyun took a moment, then nodded. "Yeah."

 _Let it go,_ Baekhyun thought. _Just for tonight._ And so he did. 

Chanyeol's speaker blared soft and slow and he tilted his head up and kissed Chanyeol again, one hand threading through his hair as the other gripped the cup holders for leverage. Chanyeol wrapped his arms around Baekhyun's small waist, as if at any moment Baekhyun would just get up and leave him. But it was still so gentle and it was all Baekhyun had been dreaming of in those long nights alone. 

Their lips slid together under the moonlight, no noise surrounding them but the night air and each other's breaths. Baekhyun let himself forget, momentarily, who Chanyeol was and what he'd done and it suddenly felt magical. This was how things were supposed to be, with the sparks running through them, like they needed each other for survival but wanted each other too, like neither of them had ever been hurt. 

Their kisses became deeper but not harder, hands trailing all over as if this was the last time they would ever touch each other. The plastic of the car began to dig into Baekhyun's hips as he leaned in further and further, and as if Chanyeol could read his mind, he picked Baekhyun up so he was straddling him. 

"Wow," Baekhyun said with a blush. Chanyeol's hands were holding Baekhyun's thighs but his eyes were on Baekhyun's face. 

"I could say the same thing."

Baekhyun looked away. "I meant with the whole picking-me-up thing, but I'm not one to turn down a compliment."

Chanyeol chuckled. "I have to work out a lot to stay the quarterback." Eyes glued to Chanyeol's lips, Baekhyun moved his head back down to kiss him, lips soft against Chanyeol's. But Chanyeol pulled away quickly, his mouth moving down to Baekhyun's neck. 

He kissed the expanse of skin for a while before sucking, leaving marks that Baekhyun knew would last for days. But he didn't care, not when it was four in the morning and he was letting go. He would deal with the consequences later. Now, he just wanted to _feel_.

Chanyeol's lips against his neck had Baekhyun clutching Chanyeol's strong shoulders, desperately holding back noises of pleasure and breathing harshly. Chanyeol finished, leaving gentle kisses along Baekhyun's jawline while Baekhyun gazed into the backseat. 

"Is that a guitar?" He asked.

Chanyeol turned his head to look where Baekhyun was looking. "Oh, yeah." His voice was casual as he turned back to Baekhyun, looking at him while he held his thighs. 

"Who's is it?"

Chanyeol furrowed his eyebrows. "Mine?" 

"Why do you have a guitar?"

"Because I play guitar?"

Baekhyun started laughing. "I did _not_ think you were the type." 

"I've been playing for a while."

"How long?"

"Hm, probably since I was eight or nine."

Baekhyun's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Chanyeol nodded. 

"And is that your songwriting book or something?" Baekhyun teased, gesturing to the notebook resting next to Chanyeol's guitar. 

"Yeah," Chanyeol responded seriously.

Baekhyun laughed more. "Can I read it?" He asked, reaching for the mess of well worn papers. 

"No," Chanyeol said, in such a serious voice that Baekhyun frowned and moved his hands away. 

"Do you write songs and play a lot?" Baekhyun asked after a few moments. 

"Yeah, at least once a day."

Baekhyun's eyes widened. "I thought your true passion was football!" he teased. 

"I hate football. I would quit the team if I could." His eyes looked dead, and Baekhyun didn't want to press. 

"You really didn't seem like the type," Baekhyun mumbled. 

"I agree. Sometimes I look in the mirror and I don't even recognize myself." Baekhyun looked down, his heart breaking. He was slowly starting to realize that Chanyeol was not at all what he seemed, and it was terrifying to him to see what else he might uncover about this strange boy who he'd spent most of his life hating. 

Chanyeol sighed and hugged Baekhyun closer, resting his chin on Baekhyun's slight shoulder. 

"You've been so lovely tonight," Chanyeol said quietly. 

"I'm just tired. It's easier to pretend when I'm tired." 

"Easier to pretend what?"

Baekhyun took a moment to think. "It's easier to pretend that you're this person, the nice one who brings me food and holds me close and plays guitar, and not the guy who pushed me around and called me names since the sixth grade." Chanyeol grimaced. 

"I hate myself," he mumbled.

Baekhyun sighed. What was he supposed to say to that?

He took a moment to think, resting in Chanyeol's arms before speaking. "Chanyeol. There are parts of you that are extremely cruel. But there are parts of you that are good too," Baekhyun finally spoke.

Chanyeol held Baekhyun closer at his words, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. 

"I don't deserve you," he said softly.

Baekhyun frowned. "I know. It's hard though, resisting you. I can't avoid you; my body physically becomes ill. And I try so hard to stop myself from...feeling these things. But it's getting harder and harder."

"I don't deserve you," Chanyeol repeated.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol rested in that position for a while, the sky becoming lighter and lighter. 

"What do you usually write songs about?" Baekhyun mumbled tiredly. Chanyeol pet his back but didn't speak. "Do you write about how much you hate gay people?"

"Yeah, if writing about how much I hate myself counts."

Baekhyun frowned again, snuggling closer. Usually he wanted Chanyeol to feel emotional pain, as a sort of revenge for how he'd treated him all those years, but when it was so late and he was so tired he just wanted Chanyeol to be happy. 

They just laid in each other's arms for who knows how long, the sky glowing brighter as daytime came. They rested in the perfect land between being asleep and being awake, tired eyes drifting shut. 

"What time is it?" Baekhyun eventually mumbled. 

"Mmh. It's six am."

"Shit."

Suddenly he was wide awake, struggling to gather his things. 

"What's wrong?"

"My dad will wake up for work then and if he sees me entering the house at this time...then I'm dead," Baekhyun explained.

Chanyeol nodded in understanding as Baekhyun opened the car door. He turned back towards Chanyeol. 

"Goodbye," Baekhyun mumbled sleepily, and Chanyeol gave him a strange wide eyed look and a smile. 

"Bye bye," he responded, and drove off. 

As Baekhyun snuck into his house and into his room, hearing his dad wake up, he jumped back into bed. He felt sleepy and loved and healthy, better than he'd been in quite a few days. He knew that when he woke up he would have to face the consequences of the night, but for now he could swoon over the way Chanyeol had kissed him and how he had held him tight in the way that Baekhyun had dreamt about for many nights. 

As he was about to fall back asleep, a thought dashed through his mind. 

_That was the first time I've actually said goodbye to him._

~~~~~~~~~~

On Sunday morning, Zitao woke up to a text from Sehun. 

_hey so my mom saw us sitting together on friday and she got rlly excited that I made a friend so she gave me money for both of us to get lunch and go to the movies. do you wanna go?_

Zitao actually screamed out loud. 

"What the fuck?" Yifan groaned.

"Sehun and I are going on a date! To the movies!"

"Great." Yifan collapsed back onto his bed. 

_I'd love to! What time?_ Zitao responded to Sehun. 

_Is 1:30 okay? My mom can pick you up from your house and drop you at the movies._

Zitao panicked. _1:30 is good. And my brother can give me a ride._

"Yifan," he asked in a cutesy tone. 

"What," Yifan answered in the most aggressive tone he could. 

"Can you give me a ride to the movies?" Yifan physically groaned. "Come on, Sehun's mom offered to pick me up but I don't want them to know about us yet."

"Fine. But you fucking owe me," the senior answered as he rolled out of bed.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Zitao said, jumping out of bed himself. 

"What time do I have to drive you?"

"I have to be at the movies by one thirty, so we should leave at around one."

"I know you take forever to get ready, so be fast because it's already noon."

"Really? Fuck, shit." He abandoned the cereal he was making, rushing into the bathroom and leaving his brother chuckling. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Sehun was already waiting for Zitao outside the theatre when he arrived. He looked up at Zitao, a big smile on his face, before nervously looking back down at the pavement. 

"Don't scare him off," Yifan whispered to his brother as he got off of the motorcycle. "And have a good time."

"Of course Yifan. And don't forget to come back at four!" He handed the helmet back to his brother and rushed off to go talk to Sehun. 

"H-Hi," Sehun said uncomfortably. 

"Hi! How's it going?" Zitao responded cheerfully. Anything to make Sehun feel less awkward. 

"Um, it's good. D-do you want to eat?"

"Yes! I'm starving." The two of them went inside the theatre to the little diner and sat down in a booth. They both silently looked over the menu, not quite sure what to say, trying to not let the soulmate electricity distract them. 

"How long did it take to get here?" Zitao asked. 

"Oh, a little over thirty minutes."

"Really? How far away do you live?"

"I-I live in Johnston." Johnston was the town next door to Morrisville. 

"Wow...wait, then why do you go to our school? Wouldn't the one in Johnston be much easier to get to?" 

"W-well," Sehun said, avoiding Zitao's face. "Um...in middle school a lot of people weren't very nice to me, so for high school my parents didn't want me going to school with them." 

"Oh, I'm sorry," Zitao said with a frown. His heart broke at the idea of Sehun getting bullied at his old school. 

"N-no, it's fine. I'm just glad I don't go there any more." Just then the waitress came over and took their orders. "I-I didn't used to be so shy.....until them....I'm sorry...I'm telling you all this stuff even though we just met," Sehun said once the woman left. 

"Sehun, it's okay. It's good to talk about those sort of things. And anyways, if anyone tries to hurt you again, my brother and I will beat them up. And that's a promise." Sehun's eyes still avoided Zitao but the frown left his face. 

"Thanks," he said quietly. Zitao smiled at him softly, and Sehun looked up at him for a moment. Zitao was suddenly struck by how _beautiful_ Sehun was, and obviously he noticed it before but _damn_ did he notice it now. A blush spread over Sehun's cheeks, and Zitao hoped that maybe, Sehun was thinking the same thing. 

The waitress returned with their food, placing it down on the table in front of them. The young boys quickly devoured their meal, and not even ten minutes had passed before their plates were completely clear. They chuckled at themselves and looked at each other. 

"I was hungry," Sehun admitted with a smile. Zitao beamed back at him. This was the first time Sehun had looked him in the eyes with a smile on his face. 

"Me too," Zitao responded. The waitress returned a few moments later, laughing at the boys under her breath to clear the plates and hand them the check. Sehun whipped a crumpled twenty dollar bill out of his wallet. 

"But I can-" 

"No. My mom gave me this money for both of us," Sehun interrupted, placing the money on the table and leaving with Zitao. 

The boys decided to go see the new Justice League movie, buying even more snacks and drinks and making their way to the theaters. While they were waiting in line, Sehun opened his phone to check his messages. Zitao looked over his shoulder at his text screen and smiled. 

"Did you put a heart next to my name?" Zitao asked. Sehun sucked in a breath and blushed bright red, looking down at the floor. He put away his phone, but before then Zitao confirmed that Sehun had put the pink emoji with the sparkles next to his name in his contacts. 

They got their tickets and went into the theatre, playing with their phones during the opening credits. Zitao took out his phone and put the heart with the bow next to Sehun's name. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Once the movie was over, Zitao and Sehun sat next to each other, waiting for their parents/siblings to pick them up. Although Sehun was still fairly silent and awkward, Zitao could tell he was much more comfortable around the other. 

"I'm so glad we met," Zitao admitted, trying to suppress the blush appearing on his cheeks. But Sehun blushed himself, and Zitao felt much less bad. 

"M-me too. I-It's nice to have a friend." Zitao frowned at his word usage. "Or something more..." Sehun added, and Zitao grinned. 

Just then, Yifan's motorcycle pulled up next to the movie theatre, and he honked the horn twice. 

"That's me." Sehun and Zitao shared the kind of smile without teeth and melancholy eyes. They just looked around each other for a while, pouting, before Zitao grabbed both sides of Sehun's face and kissed his cheek. Zitao ran off and hopped on Yifan's motorcycle before Sehun could say or do anything. Yifan knew that Zitao wanted to get away quickly, so he drove off as soon as Zitao was on steadily. Both of them watched Sehun stare at their motorcycle in awe as it drove away. 

Zitao laughed with joy, leaning his head back. 

"So how did it go?" Yifan asked, yelling over the noise of the engine. 

"It was perfect. I mean, it was a bit awkward, but still perfect."

Yifan laughed. "Oh, freshman."


	11. Chapter 11

When Baekhyun's entire friend group entered his car Monday morning, they all turned to each other and chuckled. 

"What's with the scarf Baek?" Kyungsoo teased. 

"Yeah, you never wear them!" Joonmyeon added. Jongdae reached over and pulled down Baekhyun's scarf as he was driving and all of the friends gaped at his neck. 

"Hey, I could crash this thing!"

"Those are some class A hickies," Jongdae said, ignoring his friend's protests. Joonmyeon and Kyungsoo looked over from the backseat at their friend's neck and chuckled. 

"Who gave you those?" Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun panicked for a moment, staring pointedly out the front window while he thought of an excuse. 

"Just one of my drama friends," Baekhyun eventually lied, putting on a smirk so his friends would believe him more easily. "I have to sleep with all of my understudies so they don't try to sabotoge me before the winter musical." 

"Baekhyun. You're a virgin. Don't exaggerate; you two probably just made out in the back of your car," Jongdae said. Kyungsoo and Joonmyeon stared at their seats in disgust. 

"Hey! I am _not_ a virgin," Baekhyun protested. The others just laughed at him. "Anyways, Joonmyeon's wearing a scarf too."

"Well he always wears scarves," Kyungsoo said, but Jongdae noticed him starting to blush. He gave Kyungsoo a look and Kyungsoo put on an evil smile, reaching across the backseat to pull down Joonmyeon's scarf as well. 

"See! I'm not the only one," Baekhyun said. Joonmyeon blushed but he smiled in a way that showed he was kind of proud of the marks adorning his neck. 

"Yifan really is corrupting you," Kyungsoo mumbled. 

"We didn't do anything else, I swear," Joonmyeon explained. 

"Look at how proud he is Kyungsoo. Joonmyeon is probably begging Yifan to corrupt him," Jongdae teased. 

"Am not," Joonmyeon mumbled with a blush. Just then, Baekhyun pulled into the school parking lot. 

"Ugh," Kyungsoo groaned pointedly. 

"Come on Soo, school isn't _that_ bad now that everyone's not so nervous about the whole soulmate thing," Joonmyeon responded. 

"Well that's easy for you to say. I still haven't found mine yet! And now most of the decent guys are already taken! Each day of school feels like I'm on a plank, and every day I walk closer to the edge. Anyways, we have a dance committee meeting tonight."

Joonmyeon sighed. "The dance committee meeting could put even me in a bad mood." He frowned and gathered his things. "Come on guys, let's go." 

Baekhyun adjusted the scarf on his neck, and the boys left the car. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"So, for the final question of this meeting," Joonmyeon said with a terse smile, "We still have not decided the theme for this dance. I know it's still only September, but if we can't decide this then we can't get decorations or snacks or anything and we're screwed." 

Jungkook raised his hand, and Joonmyeon sighed audibly. He was bound to have some incredibly dumb idea, and he and Kyungsoo shared a look of preemptive disappointment. 

"How about Night under the WET PUSSY?" He said. He and his friends all laughed, and he shared a high five with Haechan and Jongin. Kyungsoo and Joonmyeon shared another look and rolled their eyes. 

"How about no. Any other ideas?" Joonmyeon asked the group. Haechan raised his hand but Joonmyeon ignored it. Joonmyeon looked over the group in awkward silence for an uncomfortably long amount of time. 

"The meeting is over," the secretary said the second the clock switched from 4:59 to 5:00 pm. 

"Thank god," Kyungsoo muttered under his breath as the members of the committee all packed their things. Joonmyeon was rushing, his things flying everywhere as he stuffed them into his bag. He suddenly pulled Kyungsoo aside. 

"Soo, can you do me a big favor? Me and Yifan are going on a date and I don't want to be late, so can you clean up the classroom for me? I'll make sure someone else helps you."

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine." Baekhyun didn't get out of rehearsals for a while anyways, and he was Kyungsoo's ride home. 

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Joonmyeon said happily, and Kyungsoo felt better about the situation. Joonmyeon was such a source of positivity in his life, and this was the least he could do. 

"It's no problem." Kyungsoo sighed, and Joonmyeon rushed out the door with a smile.

Joonmyeon ran through the empty halls of the school, past the auditorium, past the tennis courts, past the football field, until he finally reached the parking lot. Yifan was waiting for him, leaning against his motorcycle in a way that made him look like a movie star, and Joonmyeon continued running until his was safe in his arms. 

Yifan kissed the top of his head with a grin on his face, putting the helmet onto Joonmyeon. 

"Where do you want to go?" Yifan asked. 

"Anywhere with you." 

"You're too cheesy," Yifan mumbled, but he was smiling widely. 

"Seriously though? Somewhere close by my house since my curfew ends in like an hour."

Yifan frowned. "You really need to get your curfew extended."

But the two of them hopped onto the motorcycle, and zoomed off campus. 

Before Yifan, Joonmyeon didn't really have an idea of what heaven was. But now, he knew it was the wind in his hair, his arms wrapped around the man of his dreams, and his head resting on his strong, broad back. Being on this motorcycle with Yifan was his paradise, second only to kissing his soft lips. 

They stopped in a cute park by Joonmyeon's house, with a fancy fountain and a community garden and the cleanest play structure Yifan had ever seen in his life. Little children were playing on it, their moms and dads watching from the side, and Yifan and Joonmyeon sat a little aways from them but still watched. 

"That's so sweet," Joonmyeon mumbled. 

Yifan gestured to the parents at the park. "That will be us one day."

Joonmyeon sucked in a breath before a smile bloomed onto his face. "Definitely."

They sat in silence together, holding hands tightly, just enjoying each other's company. 

"What?" Yifan asked once Joonmyeon started giggling. 

"My friends teased me about my hickies in the car this morning." Yifan pulled his adorable little scarf down to check out his handiwork. 

"Wow, those are pretty dark. They'll last a while." 

Joonmyeon pouted. "Come on! I don't really care if people see them at school, but it's hard hiding them from my parents."

"But did you like getting them?" Yifan asked gently. Joonmyeon smiled and blushed, nodding a little and looking up at cutely. Yifan couldn't help himself when Joonmyeon was looking like that so he kissed him deeply, Joonmyeon's plush lips against his own sending him into a tailspin. Joonmyeon was just an addicting person; Yifan could see how much everyone who he encountered loved him for his gentleness and optimism, and Yifan was no exception. 

When they pulled away Joonmyeon looked up at him with sparkles in his eyes and Yifan beamed. All he wanted now was to see Joonmyeon smile at him. He ran his fingers through his soft hair, pushing back the dark brown locks. Joonmyeon curled up into a little ball and looked at him cutely. 

"Are you cold?" Joonmyeon nodded, as the air was getting chillier and he would only be colder once he got on the motorcycle. "Here."

Yifan took off his leather jacket and gently put it around Joonmyeon's shoulders. His beautiful eyes widened and he looked up at Yifan in awe. 

"It's the leather jacket!" He said, the sleeves going over his little hands. 

"It looks so cute on you." Yifan smiled and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Shit, it's almost six. We've got to get you home." Yifan stood up and held out a hand for Joonmyeon. He frowned but stood up as well, the two of them getting back on the motorcycle and driving off. 

When they got to Joonmyeon's they had to hurry since his curfew was almost up. 

"I'll see you tomorrow," Joonmyeon said as he handed him back his jacket and his helmet. 

"But how will you stay warm?"

Joonmyeon smiled. "I still have your hoodie."

"Thank god, baby. I'll see you tomorrow." Yifan kissed Joonmyeon's forehead and then his lips. 

"See you then," Joonmyeon said, and he ran home with a giant grin. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After Joonmyeon left the meeting, Kyungsoo's half decent mood quickly turned sour when Jongin approached him. 

"I'll help you organize the room if you want," Jongin said, an optimistic smile on his face. 

"Fine." Kyungsoo dramatically rolled his eyes. He wouldn't have accepted, but he knew no one else would've offered to help. 

Jongin got to work as soon as everyone left, and he was surprisingly efficient. Kyungsoo cleaned as well but at the same time watched him out of the corner of his eye. Jongin was confusing to him; he was just as gross and douchey as all of the other football guys but at the same time, he was decent occasionally. Sometimes he would even say hi to Kyungsoo in the hallways as he passed by him. And lately, it had been harder to ignore the decent sides of Jongin and the way his body was visibly starting to 'glow up' from puberty. But Kyungsoo easily pushed those thoughts aside, his hatred of any and all football players clouding his mind.

To anyone, it would seem that Kyungsoo had a strong bias against football players. But after watching them bully his best friend Baekhyun for years upon years, Kyungsoo couldn't find a place in his heart to forgive their entire group. 

"So, um, how's school?" Jongin asked uncomfortably. Kyungsoo turned to him, shocked. Was he really trying to make conversation? 

"Uh, it's fine." He accidentally turned around at the same time Jongin did. But he suddenly sucked in a breath and found he couldn't tear his eyes away from the younger boy standing in front of him. He was _so tall_ for a freshman and Kyungsoo thought it was completely unfair that one guy got so much height. Jongin was looking back at him too, with a strange expression on his face that Kyungsoo couldn't decipher. Kyungsoo decidedly shook his head, trying to will away those weird feelings, and turned back around. But he could feel Jongin's eyes still on his back and it sent a shiver down his spine. This was the first time he'd been alone in a room with Jongin, and the strange feelings he could push away before were now impossible to ignore. 

"Wh-where do these papers go?" Jongin asked shyly. Kyungsoo turned back around to find Jongin standing right next to him, almost over him, holding some of the papers for their meeting. 

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. "I'll just take them," he said, grabbing the papers from him, their hands brushing. 

And suddenly, it happened. 

"Fuck," Kyungsoo groaned. Here it was, the feeling that Joonmyeon had described to him in detail and that he'd heard on the news, the spark flowing from his hands all over his body that made him feel lighter than air. It was so overwhelming that he stumbled a bit, almost falling over but Jongin caught him with his strong football player arms and more electricity just flowed from the places where Jongin held him upright. He avoided looking at Jongin's face, embarrassed at his own clumsiness and how strongly these new feelings were coming at him. He needed to get away from Jongin, away from the electricity so he could think, so he shook Jongin off of him and backed away slowly. 

Kyungsoo finally found the courage to look up at Jongin and he was completely stunned by the way Jongin was staring at him; Jongin looked at Kyungsoo like he was his whole world. Kyungsoo shook his head again. He could _not_ believe this was happening. Jongin suddenly beamed at Kyungsoo and he was so handsome and it was just all too much. 

"Why is my life like this?" Kyungsoo whined aloud. He had been praying ever since the soulmate news broke that he would just never find his, or at least not for a couple of years. He really and truly felt like he was too young for all of this. And anyways, he still despised Jongin because he was on the football team, of course. Anyone who bullied his friends could not be a friend of his. 

"What do you mean? This is great!" Jongin cheered. 

"What? In what world is this great?" Kyungsoo said incredulously. 

"Well, _I_ think it's great. You're a cute upperclassman," Jongin said. Kyungsoo blushed. Nobody had ever called him cute before. 

"B-but don't you hate gay people?" Kyungsoo said, trying to maintain his resolve. 

"No way! I've been out since the seventh grade!"

"But what about the team?"

Jongin frowned. "Well...they don't know yet. But they will! Because we're going to be the cutest couple in school, I swear."

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, trying hard not to imagine such a thing. "Then what do you do when your little team talks shit about the gay people at this school? Like Byun Baekhyun, for example." 

"I never am a part of that. I always just leave or tell them to be quiet. They don't listen to me much since I'm a freshman, but some of my friends have been better." 

"I don't believe you," Kyungsoo mumbled. Since Kyungsoo had been trying to focus his energy on anything but Jongin, the entire classroom was finally clean. He looked at his watch. 

"It's five thirty, my ride should be waiting for me." Kyungsoo just wanted to _get out_ of this.

"Oh mine too! Let's wait together," Jongin responded in a sweet voice that Kyungsoo couldn't resist. He just rolled his eyes again and followed Jongin to the curb by the parking lot. 

Once they were sitting down together there, in silence, the overwhelming urge to reach out and touch Jongin became overpowering. 

"Can I touch you?" Jongin asked, clearly feeling it too. 

"No," Kyungsoo responded on instinct. Jongin pouted and looked at the floor. He sighed and frowned at Kyungsoo. 

"Do you really....not like me at all? Do you hate me?" Jongin asked, his voice wavering. It shattered Kyungsoo's cold dead heart, but he didn't want to give the freshman any ideas that might convince him to change his mind. 

"Other than the usual soulmate thing, yeah," Kyungsoo responded. Jongin quickly looked away from Kyungsoo, staring at the pavement and biting his lip hard. 

"Okay. I'll try and be better then. Because I've liked you for a while and I want this to work out." A wave of guilt washed over Kyungsoo, but now there was nothing he could do. 

"Shit," Jongin mumbled, his lip bleeding from how hard he was biting it earlier. Kyungsoo looked at it and frowned, pulling a tissue out of his backpack. Jongin took it and gave Kyungsoo a weak smile, dabbing his lip with the tissue. 

Suddenly, a red car pulled up in front of where Kyungsoo and Jongin were sitting. 

"That's my ride," Jongin chuckled awkwardly. 

"Get in," Chanyeol yelled out the window, and three of their teammates laughed as well. Jongin waved goodbye to Kyungsoo and ran over to where they were parked. Kyungsoo frowned and watched the car drive off, a million thoughts and feelings clouding his mind. 

Baekhyun's car pulled up so soon after Chanyeol's that it was almost weird. But Kyungsoo didn't have any room in his mind to think about it 

"Get in loser, we're going shopping," Baekhyun yelled to Kyungsoo. He looked happier than he'd seen him in weeks, but Kyungsoo couldn't match his mood. 

"You're late by twenty minutes!" Kyungsoo yelled back. 

"Could you make a more _gay_ reference?" Kyungsoo said as he hopped into the passenger's seat. 

"Could I be a more _gay_ person?" Baekhyun responded. 

"Touche...ugh Baekhyun I have the worst news," he said as he turned toward his friend. He tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows, looking Baekhyun over. His lips were swollen and he was missing his scarf from earlier, and Kyungsoo could see that he had even _more_ hickies dotting his neck and collarbones. 

"Wait, Baekhyun....what _have_ you been up to in drama class?" Kyungsoo asked, looking his best friend over. Baekhyun gave him a very confused look, then suddenly shook his head and stared straight out the window, laughing in a way Kyungsoo knew was fake. 

"Yeah, I've been going crazy in drama, fucking around with all the hot guys."Kyungsoo thought it sounded off but didn't want to press. He needed to talk about his own drama. "So what was the worst news?" Baekhyun asked as he started driving away from school. 

"Fuck... so I finally met my soulmate."

"Congrats!"

"Not congrats. Guess who it fucking is."

"Who?"

"Kim fucking Jongin. One of those annoying freshman football players."

"Oh god no! I'm so sorry," Baekhyun spoke. 

"I'm sorry for myself! Like, can you think of a _worse_ person to be your soulmate?" 

_Yes,_ Baekhyun thought. But he didn't say anything.

"Apparently he's liked me for a while but I don't fucking know," Kyungsoo continued. "And he claims to have never bullied you. Is that true?"

"It is, actually. He never seems to be around when the other guys are pushing me and occasionally I've heard him tell them to stop. I mean it never works, since he's a freshman, but at least he tries, you know?"

Kyungsoo slumped back in his seat. "Shit. I could've been a little bit nicer to him."

"What did you say?"

"I basically admitted that I hated him. He looked devastated."

Kyungsoo's words made Baekhyun think. Should he be nicer to Chanyeol? But no, there's a big difference between Jongin and Chanyeol. Jongin tried to be decent before he'd matched with Kyungsoo, whereas Chanyeol had only starting being nice once they'd become soulmates. And Jongin was annoying, but not cruel to Kyungsoo, but Chanyeol had bullied Baekhyun for years. 

"But what else would you have done? Pretended to not think he was annoying?" Baekhyun asked. 

"Yeah. And my opinion of him is changing already, mostly because of all of the chemicals. It's also good to know that he didn't bully you at all." They pulled up in front of Kyungsoo's house, and he grabbed his things. 

"You'll get some good advice from the others tomorrow," Baekhyun said reassuringly.

Kyungsoo smiled at him. "Thanks Baek." He ducked out of the car, trying not to think about what a mess his life had become. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am....so sorry. i know its been a long time (more than two weeks, oops!) since my last update so...again, i am very sorry. i was on a little vacation but now im back! i hope you like this chapter and as always, let me know what you think! comments are my fuel to keep on updating. now...lets get on with it!

"Guess what guys," Kyungsoo spoke dejectedly to his friends. They had just picked up Joonmyeon and were on their way to school, and Kyungsoo's usual resting bitch face was somehow even bitchier than normal.

"Oh god," Baekhyun mumbled, knowing what was coming. 

"So I met my soulmate, and it's that annoying football player Jongin!" Kyungsoo spoke incredulously. 

"I am so sorry," Jongdae spoke slowly. 

"Agh, I wish I'd stayed to clean up! Then you could've avoided this. At least he's the most decent of the football players," Joonmyeon said. 

"That's true," Kyungsoo answered. He had to admit at least that. 

"He's fairly good looking too, for a freshman at least," Jongdae said. 

"Yeah, I guess," Kyungsoo said dejectedly. 

"I mean though, it must be hard to hate him. With all of the soulmate feelings it's really, really hard to distance yourself from them," Joonmyeon said. 

"Then what should I do?" Kyungsoo asked. 

"You have to just test it out. You'll go crazy if you don't. You might even get sick," Joonmyeon explained. Kyungsoo sighed, and Baekhyun concentrated hard on driving them to school. 

"But did he ever bully Baekhyun?" Jongdae asked. 

"No, he never did," the boy in question responded. 

"Maybe he's okay then," Jongdae said quietly.

"I guess you guys are right," Kyungsoo answered as they pulled into the school parking lot. 

"That was awfully fast," Jongdae commented, turning to Baekhyun. "Hey! You were going like, 20 miles above the speed limit!" 

"Sorry," Baekhyun responded, looking away from his friends. "Alright guys I gotta go bye!" He said quickly, almost jumping out of the car. The other boys looked at each other. 

"He's been acting so strange lately," Joonmyeon said worriedly. The others nodded. 

"Yeah. What should we do? Do you think he's okay?" Jongdae asked. 

"We should just ask him," Kyungsoo said.

"At a better time, like after school or something. Not at lunch with all of the others," Joonmyeon responded. They all nodded and looked at their watches. 

"Yifan is probably here already. I'll see you guys at lunch!"

Kyungsoo and Jongdae waved, watching Joonmyeon go.

"Guess it's just me and you against the world," Kyungsoo said sadly.

Jongdae sighed. "Agreed."

But he knew that soon, Kyungsoo would realize Jongin wasn't half bad and fall madly in love, and then Jongdae would really be alone, because who would want _him_ for a soulmate? He probably didn't even have one. Joonmyeon was wrapped up in Yifan, and even if the others didn't realize Jongdae _knew_ Baekhyun had met his soulmate too, and now Kyungsoo would leave him alone too. It's okay though. Jongdae's used to feeling disconnected. It's his primary state of being. 

The two friends chatted for a few moments before they going off to class right as the bell rang, sighing as they prepared themselves for the unexpected that they'd had to embrace this last week. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Kyungsoo was incredibly grateful that he hadn't seen Jongin all day. Their encounter yesterday had been awkward, to say the least, and he still couldn't quite make up his mind about Jongin. Was he worthy of a test run or should he just reject him altogether? The pain from not seeing him for a while was eating him away and it only made things more complicated. 

As he was gathering his books from his locker to head to lunch, Kyungsoo felt a presence beside him. From the way his adrenaline was quickly rising, Kyungsoo knew it had to be Jongin leaning against the locker next to him. 

"What," Kyungsoo said in a tone that he truly didn't mean to come out so angry. He shut his locker and turned to face Jongin, and paused.

 _Fucking hell he was handsome_.

Kyungsoo's eyes widened and he darted his eyes away, to the same spot on the floor that Jongin was looking at. 

"Look, I know you hate me," Jongin said sadly, and part of Kyungsoo wanted to cry. Had he really hurt his feelings that much? Jongin looked up at him and their eyes met, forcing Jongin to pause for a moment because Kyungsoo took his breath away. 

"A-as I was saying, I know you hate me," Jongin continued. "But I told the football team about us and they're not exactly being nice about it and I know I have to get a ride home from them but I'd like to avoid them at lunch time at least and I don't really have any other friends and I really did want to see you so can I eat lunch with you?"

Kyungsoo sighed. He was getting shit on both sides, from both Kyungsoo and the team, so this was the least he could do. 

"Alright. Follow me." Kyungsoo simply walkwed away from his locker and Jongin followed like an excited puppy, the frown quickly leaving his face. 

"Really? I thought you'd say no."

Kyungsoo sighed and left the main school building, walking down to the grassy area while Jongin followed next to him. "I'm an asshole, but not that much of an asshole."

They soon reached the area where Kyungsoo usually ate for lunch. He was the last one there, and all of his friends and acquaintances stared at him and Jongin expectedly. 

"Jongin is eating lunch with us today," Kyungsoo said decidedly, sitting down in his usual spot next to Joonmyeon. Jongin sat next to him, waving to Zitao. He noticed how Sehun and Zitao were sitting close together, their legs touching. He'd never seen Sehun be friendly with anyone else before. They must be soulmates. 

"I thought you hated jocks," Minseok stated. 

"Well Jongin is Kyungsoo's soulmate," Joonmyeon responded teasingly, relaxing into Yifan's arms. 

"Ooh," the group responded. The two of them looked at the floor and blushed, but Jongin smiled proudly. 

"How is the rest of the team reacting?" Zitao asked Jongin, since the two of them were acquaintances. 

Jongin sighed. "Not great."

"What about that Chanyeol kid? He's the biggest bitch of them all," Yifan said. Baekhyun stared pointedly at the grass beneath him. 

"Surprisingly, he isn't so bad. He didn't say anything mean to me yesterday in the car, and told some of the guys to shut up once or twice. Anyways, he doesn't hang out with the team as much as he used to. My friends said he hasn't shown up to a party or even a guy's night in about a week, and he doesn't even eat lunch with us anymore," Jongin explained. 

"Interesting," Yixing mumbled. Jongdae quickly peered over at Baekhyun and blinked at the odd expression that dashed over his face. 

"Hmm, maybe even a guy like him could change his ways," Yifan said. The others shrugged, going back to their conversation about Minseok's concert that weekend that they all had to go to, even if they snuck out of the house and broke their curfew by hours. And anyways, it was high time they met Luhan. 

"How is Luhan?" Yixing asked thoughtfully. Jongdae forced his eyes away from the senior. 

"He's adorable and sexy, as always," Minseok responded pridefully. 

"Who's Luhan?" Jongin scooted closer and whispered in Kyungsoo's ear. Kyungsoo shivered, the innocent question still overwhelming him simply from having Jongin's lips that close to him. 

"Oh, it's Minseok's soulmate. He doesn't go to school anymore," Kyungsoo explained. Jongin nodded but didn't move from where he'd inched closer, their legs just centimeters away from touching.

Minseok and the others continued talking but neither of them were paying attention. Kyungsoo could only focus on how electric it felt to even be this close to his soulmate, how much he wanted to reach over and grab Jongin and just touch him and tell him all his secrets and be his favorite person.

Jonginhad been super sweet and not the annoying douchey guy he acted like when he was with the other football guys. Jongin was also clearly hurt by the fact that Kyungsoo didn't want him, but Kyungsoo _did_ want him now that he knew a bit more about him. Maybe...Kyungsoo's assumptions about him had been wrong. But hell if he would ever admit that.

Kyungsoo watched Jongin, trying to shake off how distracted he was by his face and follow his eyes. He had on angry expression, and Kyungsoo traced where he was looking. He was staring pointedly at Zitao and Sehun. Zitao had wrapped his arms around Sehun's shoulder, and Sehun was hesitantly resting his head on Zitao's shoulder. It took Kyungsoo a moment, but he finally deciphered the look Jongin was giving them: he was jealous. 

A wave of panic washed over him as he assumed Jongin was jealous of Sehun, that he actually wanted Zitao, that he'd been lying about the whole crush thing and the two of them had actually been together before Jongin turned his head and faced Kyungsoo. 

_Oh._ Jongin was jealous of what they were doing, not the people they were with. He wanted to touch Kyungsoo like that. 

He eyed Kyungsoo up and down, blinking as if asking permission from Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo couldn't deny that he'd been feeling it too, the pressure to just reach out for Jongin, so there was little he could do to stop himself from nodding subtly. Jongin bit back a huge smile and Kyungsoo wanted to stop him, to see him smile like that _for Kyungsoo,_ but before he could do anything their legs were pressed together, his small sort of flabby ones against Jongin's rock hard thighs. 

Kyungsoo blushed slightly, sparks coursing through him even over their jeans, trying not compare their bodies. He had always been a bit insecure about the way he looked, but each time Jongin looked at him, like Kyungsoo was his everything, he felt a little bit of that insecurity melting away. Nobody had ever expressed an interest in Kyungsoo before, but it was obvious to anyone that Jongin was crazy about Kyungsoo. If someone as gorgeous as Jongin could like him, then he could try to like himself. 

Suddenly, the bell rang, and Kyungsoo heard Jongin sigh. He stood up, and Jongin quickly followed. 

"Can I walk you to your next class?" Jongin asked. Kyungsoo looked up at him and nodded, a small smile forming on his face. He shook it off though, following Jongin back down to the main building. 

"Where is it?" Jongin asked. 

"The second floor." Jongin nodded and slowed down his pace to keep up with Kyungsoo's short legs. Kyungsoo frowned at that, internally cursing his body for making him shorter than a guy a year younger than him. 

"Thanks for letting me sit with you guys today. You guys are really cool," Jongin said. 

"Oh, it's nothing. I think they like you more than me." They both chuckled awkwardly and stayed silent for a few moments before Kyungsoo eventually spoke, though much quieter than before. "I'm sorry that I made all your football friends hate you."

Jongin shrugged and smiled at Kyungsoo. "It's okay. I honestly don't care that much. If they are mean to me because of something as stupid as my sexuality, then they were never really my friends. Anyways, Kyungsoo, you're worth it." He smiled that beautiful smile and Kyungsoo felt his cold dead heart melt a little bit in his chest. 

"That's so nice," Kyungsoo responded quietly, suppressing a smile and a blush. 

"You're so cute when you're embarrassed!" Jongin said, watching Kyungsoo as they walked up the stairs. Kyungsoo screamed internally. 

"Stop," Kyungsoo whined, but it sounded false even to his own ears. Jongin chuckled at him as they approached Kyungsoo's classroom, frowns forming on both of their faces because their bodies demanded that they be near each other at all times. 

"Well, bye for now Kyungsoo," Jongin said sadly. Kyungsoo waved back and just as he was about to go to into the classroom, Jongin pulled him into a tight hug. 

Kyungsoo's body temperature was generally on the colder side so the first thing he noticed about being in Jongin's arms was just how _warm_ he was. It was soothing to Kyungsoo's prickly soul, the way the warmth of Jongin made its way to his heart, along with the strange sparks flowing throughout his small body. Jongin's grip was strong but not too strong and Kyungsoo almost didn't want to let go. 

Jongin let go too quickly, his cheeks pink, embarrassed by his own boldness. 

"Ah...you're so tiny," he said, sounding just as overwhelmed as Kyungsoo felt. "Bye," he repeated, and ran off to his next class. There was no way Kyungsoo would be able to concentrate. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After school, Sehun was waiting outside of Zitao's class when he left.

"What are you doing here?" Zitao asked excitedly. Sehun immediately blushed and looked at the floor. 

"Umm...I just....happened to be here....um...what are you doing here..."

Zitao laughed sweetly and a small smile grew on Sehun's face. "Well, it's nice to see you."

Sehun looked up at him and bit his lip. It was getting a lot easier for Sehun to make eye contact with Zitao and it made Zitao incredibly happy because he could look at Sehun's beautiful face way more easily. 

"I-It's nice to s-see you too," Sehun answered, alternating between looking at the floor and Zitao's smiling face. "S-so my mom is gonna be late to pick me up, so do you want to hang out until then?"

"Yes! We can hang out behind the school." Sehun nodded and the two of them cooly walked out of the school's main building; Zitao knew they looked fucking fantastic together. 

They finally made it to the strip of land sandwiched between the school's main building and the highway, where an empty parking lot and a few trees stood. Sehun and Zitao stood underneath one of these trees, leaning against the trunk. 

"How was your day?" Tao asked, looking at Sehun. 

Sehun hid his fidgety fingers behind his back. "It was good, and yours?" 

"It was great. Mostly because I got to see you," Zitao admitted, and Sehun smiled at him. Sehun needed to be closer to Zitao, his mind and body calling out for more, so he inched toward him as subtly as he could. But apparently Zitao had the same idea, and now the two of them were almost completely pressed against one another. 

Zitao cast his eyes downward slightly, realizing happily that Sehun was just a tad bit shorter than himself. But he could only focus on that for one second before the butterflies and sparks moving from his stomach to all over his body distracted him. Sehun's eyes were blown wide, and they were so close that Zitao could feel Sehun's breath fanning across his face. 

"Um, have you ever kissed anyone before?" Zitao asked shyly.

Sehun shook his head. "H-have you?"

"Just a few times." Sehun nodded slowly and silence filled the air, momentarily _thick_. 

"Can I kiss you?" Zitao asked.

Sehun nodded again, firmly, and Zitao closed the small amount of space in between them. Both of them were gentle and soft at first, still so young and just trying to figure out what to do. But Sehun was a quick learner and he quickly fisted his fingers into the front of Zitao's shirt to bring him closer, already desperate for more. Zitao's hands flew up, one gripping the hair on the back of Sehun's neck, the other wrapping around Sehun's slim waist to keep them connected. Neither of them had ever felt this good in their entire lives; the pure desperation and passion and soulmate feeling behind the kiss just made the whole thing all the more special. 

They stumbled around that small area, somewhere in between casual kissing and making out, which neither of them were quite sure how to do. Finally they broke apart, a strand of spit still connecting their now lips. Sehun's hair was tangled and his pupils were blown and his lips were swollen and it was all because of Zitao. Zitao figured if he could make Sehun this beautiful with just a simple kiss, then what could he do to him if-

But Zitao's thought was cut off because Sehun was kissing him again, forcefully but in a good way, like he needed Zitao's lips to survive. Zitao and Sehun's hands drifted all over each other's waists and backs and faces and shoulders, not quite sure where they wanted to touch the most so they just touched everything. 

Suddenly, the loud honking of a car made them jump apart from each other. Sehun's face turned from normal to bright red to ghostly pale as he realized his mom's mini-van was the one honking at them. He stared at the car in pure shock and embarrassment as he checked his phone, realizing he had three missed calls and five texts from her. 

She unrolled the window and glared at Sehun, and with a little wave in Zitao's direction Sehun hopped into his mom's car. As she drove the car away quickly, Minseok's van pulled up in front of him. 

"Get in!" Yifan yelled out the window. Zitao hopped into the backseat with Yixing, mind still in a state of shock. 

"What happened?" Yixing asked worriedly. Zitao groaned loudly. 

"Sehun's mom saw me and him kissing," he whined. The others chuckled at him. "It's not funny!" He added, immediately opening his messages. 

_Will u be okay?_ Zitao texted Sehun.

He received a response immediately. _Yeah. She's just mad because I made her wait like fifteen minutes. She doesn't care that I was kissing you._

 _I mean she didn't know I was gay before_ , Sehun added. 

_But she said it was okay. Shes just a bit shocked_

Zitao exhaled with relief. _Did you like the kiss?_ He typed nervously, hitting send and flipping his phone upside down. He bit his lip, waiting anxiously for Sehun's response. 

"Are you okay?" Yixing asked softly. Zitao released a breath he didn't know he was holding. 

"Yeah. Sehun's mom isn't mad about it either, so I feel a lot better."

"That's good news Zitao. There's nothing worse than loving someone with homophobic parents," Minseok said. 

"Don't remind me. Joonmyeon told me he has no idea how his parents feel about gay relationships. I'm so nervous for when they find out about us," Yifan added with a sigh. 

"I'm sorry dude," Zitao said, opening Sehun's response. 

_Like would be an understatement,_ Sehun texted.

Zitao smiled wide. _When can we do that again?_

Sehun's response came right away. 

_As soon as possible_


	13. Chapter 13

Jongdae couldn't remember the last time he'd felt like he belonged. He'd had Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, and Joonmyeon for all his life, yet sometimes he still felt alone. He knew that they loved and cared about him deeply, but there were moments when it didn't feel that way.

If anything, Jongdae was self aware and knew he was just paranoid, but sometimes he couldn't shake off the feeling that his friends weren't really his friends.

Everyone had always said that Jongdae was smart but shy, but he knew that wasn't the case. He would, however, describe himself as observant: he noticed things that nobody else did, or at least long before they noticed it. Maybe that was the reason he felt uncared for: because he noticed immediately when his friends were annoyed or angry or hurting but they couldn't quite do the same for him. Maybe that's why he felt so disconnected; because he always just felt like an outsider looking in. 

For the longest time he'd maintained a fantasy in his head, something that he'd admit to no one but himself. He dreamed of running away, even just for a day, with someone who _saw_ him. The person he'd always fantasized as being that someone was Yixing, ever since his freshman year of high school. Mostly it was because Yixing looked at him whenever they passed in the hallways. Like he was observing him, the way Jongdae observed everyone else. 

But Jongdae was terrified; there was no way he was good enough for Yixing. He was all softness and smiles and gentle sixties folk songs, while Jongdae was biting comments and pessimism and a lack of any skill useful to the real world. And anyways, if Yixing was as observant as Jongdae imagined, how could he possibly be so joyful? Jongdae noticed too much, and he could only see the world in a negative way. 

Ever since he'd been eating with Yixing and his friends during lunch, the fantasy had only become stronger. Jongdae had always thought that once he actually spoke to Yixing his fantasy would be ruined; that he'd be as obnoxious and loud and unobservant as everyone else in this world. But he was quiet and reflective and Jongdae was only dragged down deeper. He couldn't stop imagining Yixing grabbing his hand and taking him away from this sick sad world. 

"Jongdae?" His mother called to him Wednesday morning before school. It was in her usual worried tone; the one she always used with him. 

"Yeah?"

She opened the door to his room and walked in, sitting down on his bed and twiddling her fingers. "Can we talk for a moment?" Jongdae was early anyways so he sat down next to her. 

"Sure, what's up?" She sighed, and Jongdae hated that he was the one who put that anxious expression on his face. 

"Jongdae, I'm worried about you. You've been hanging out with your friends less and less; you spend so much time in your room with the door shut."

"My friends all met their soulmates and I haven't, of course they're busy," Jongdae interrupted.

She sighed again. "It's been a long time since I've seen you smile."

Jongdae frowned and looked at his lap. He didn't want to dump his petty troubles on his mother; she had enough going on as it was. 

"Don't worry about me," Jongdae answered, forcing a smile onto his face. "School is just a bit stressful right now. I'll be fine." 

She patted his leg. "Thank you Jongdae. That makes me feel a lot better. Now, go off to school or you'll be late," she spoke with a smile. Jongdae nodded and gathered his things, waving and heading out the door. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Lunchtime only increased Jongdae's feelings of loneliness. That hadn't changed from when he was sitting with just Joonmyeon, Baekhyun, and Kyungsoo to now, when he was with an ever growing circle of teens. The only thing different was that he talked much, much less. But, he did enjoy seeing Yixing, even if they didn't talk too much. His crush was getting stronger, and the longer he would go without seeing him the more sad he would become. 

Today, Jongdae watched jealously as everyone talked. It just seemed so easy for all of them to just join the conversation, comment without feeling like a burden, and laugh together. Jongdae laughed just to seem like he was with everyone else in the same conversation, but really his mind was concentrated on the details of their circle. Yifan's hands, drifting lower down Joonmyeon's waist each lunch they spend together, Jongin and Kyungsoo scooting centimeters closer together every few minutes to seem inconspicuous, Sehun staying silent except for the occasional whisper in Zitao's ear, Minseok checking his phone every five minutes for a text back from Luhan, Baekhyun anxiously tugging at the grass, and Yixing looking contented as always. Despite his observations, Jongdae could never understand how Yixing stayed so serene even when he clearly wasn't high on drugs. 

As soon as the bell rang, Jongdae packed up his things. He wanted the day to go by faster, wanted to get out of this thing faster so he could go to the next thing and so forth until he was just _done._ He was starting to think that way every day and it scared him so he pushed it to the back of his mind. 

"Jongdae?" A soft, gentle voice called out. Jongdae knew exactly who it was and turned around, his cheeks already turning pink. He hated the way that Yixing made him stammer and blush; he was never that kind of person before. 

"What's up?" He responded, trying not to sound as on edge as he felt. 

"You dropped this." Yixing passed him his water bottle and Jongdae sighed, angry at himself for being so stupid and careless. He quickly grabbed the water bottle from Yixing, trying to get away from him and not stand so close, trying not to inhale the way he smelled (which was like redwood trees and marijuana and flowers, in case you were wondering). 

"Oh. Thanks," he finally spoke, their fingers brushing as he stuffed the water bottle in his bag. He noticed Yixing staring at him with a wide eyed expression on his face and Jongdae no idea why until suddenly, it came too. 

Sparks. Electricity. Those were the only words both Joonmyeon and Kyungsoo had been able to use to describe how they felt when they first touched their soulmate, and finally Jongdae understood why. It was so intense he felt like he'd just been electrocuted. He felt like he'd been shot straight out of a firework into the night sky and was floating through the air, drifting back down to earth but how could he ever come back down to earth feeling like this? He looked back up at Yixing and he was still frozen in the same position as before. Jongdae couldn't read his expression and the part of his mind that had dominated his psyche for the past four years was telling him that Yixing hated him, that he was disappointed and angry and was going to avoid Jongdae and break his heart. But another part of him, the part that Yixing had just awoken, told him that everything would be okay, and Jongdae didn't know what to believe anymore. 

"What's going on?" Jongdae heard Joonmyeon say, but it sounded so far away and it didn't matter. 

"I think Yixing and Jongdae are soulmates," Yifan said. 

"Finally," Zitao groaned.

"Hm. I kind of figured. Woo! You go boys!" Joonmyeon yelled to them. But they barely heard, just looking at each other with the excitement and fear. The only thing that pulled them away was the loud ringing of the bell, signaling to them that class had already begun. 

"Shit," Jongdae mumbled, forcing his eyes away from Yixing. Yixing just looked around, clearly not caring how late he was. 

"Are you free after school today?" Yixing asked in such a calm voice that Jongdae couldn't believe they were experiencing the same thing. 

Jongdae shuffled his feet in the grass. "Y-yeah." 

"Do you want to talk then? I know you probably want to get to class," Yixing spoke, and tilted his head in a way that made Jongdae's heart scream. 

"That sounds good," Jongdae responded in a quiet, awkward voice. Yixing smiled at him and it took Jongdae's breath away even more than it had before. 

"I'll see you then!"

The image of Yixing's smile didn't leave Jongdae's brain for hours afterward. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"Fuck this," Minseok muttered to himself after lunch. School was useless, as usual, and Minseok missed Luhan's pretty little face. So he hopped into his van and drove down to his favorite strip mall, not caring about missing half the day of school. 

When he got there, Luhan was already closing up shop for his lunch break. As soon as he saw Minseok's van though, he abandoned the store to run into his arms. They kissed first thing, Minseok's hands on Luhan's cheeks and Luhan's arms around his neck. 

"Babe, what are you doing here?" Luhan asked when they finally broke apart, a big smile on his face. 

"Couldn't take school any more. Now, go finish closing up your shop before someone fucking steals everything." Luhan's eyes widened and he ran back to the store, locking the doors as quickly as he could before running straight back to Minseok. 

"You couldn't take school any more so you had to take me," Luhan said, pressing himself closer to Minseok and giving him a look that was _not appropriate_ for the parking lot of a strip mall. 

"Shut up," Minseok whined. 

"God I missed you..." 

"If you don't stop I'm gonna fucking take you right here," Minseok growled. Luhan just raised his eyebrows and smirked, then shook it off and gave Minseok a real smile. 

"It's true though. I really did miss you."

Minseok's hands drifted from Luhan's waist down to his ass, slipping his hands in one of the butt pockets of his jeans. "What's this?" Minseok asked with a sly smile. 

"Oh, just a little something." Minseok pulled a box out of Luhan's back pocket and grinned. 

"Cigarettes! Babe, you're my favorite," Minseok said, kissing Luhan's cheek. Luhan smiled, the afternoon light filtering through his princess pink hair, and Minseok swore he'd never seen anything more beautiful. 

"It's nothing. Wanna go smoke these somewhere? I only have thirty minutes break and we've already wasted about five minutes of that."

"Your car? I wanna hear more of your cassette tape playlists."

"Perfect." The two of them ran through the almost empty parking lot, hand in hand, until they reached the obnoxious pink vehicle that Minseok was slowly becoming fond of. They ducked in the backseat and opened up both of the windows, Luhan popping in a riot grrrl themed cassette into the car's stereo. Minseok laid down and Luhan draped himself on top of him as Minseok opened the brand new pack and lit a cigarette. 

"You're gonna get cancer," Luhan said. 

"I know it turns you on."

"Fuck you." Minseok exhaled the smoke and kissed Luhan's neck. 

"Fuck you too, cool schmool," Minseok said.

Luhan smiled and reached over and grabbed the cigarette out of Minseok's fingers. 

"I thought cigarettes were gonna give me cancer." 

"I'll get it too anyways, from all of the second hand smoke I inhale from being around you so often." He took a drag before handing it back to Minseok, and he inhaled the smoke before grabbing Luhan's chin and forcing their lips to meet, breathing the smoke into his mouth as he kissed him. 

" _Fuck_ that was hot," Luhan groaned, blinking up at Minseok. Minseok just took another drag and smirked. 

Luhan pulled out his phone to check the time. 

"No way," he whined. 

"You have to go?" Luhan nodded. "I'll walk you over." The couple got out of the car and Minseok took another drag. "When are we going to spend more time together?" 

"The real question is, when are you going to fuck me in the back of my car?" Luhan answered. 

"Soon bambi," Minseok said as theu reached Luhan's convenience store, pulling his soulmate in for a hug. Luhan hugged him back, and they kissed in a way that was uncharacteristically innocent for the two of them.

Luhan grinned. "Text me!" 

"Always."

~~~~~~~~~~

Jongdae had been packed up for five minutes before the bell rang, a bundle of nerves tying knots in his stomach. He practically ran out the door as soon as he was dismissed, but panicked once he realized that he and Yixing hadn't decided on a meeting place. 

He ran all the way to the parking lot, panting heavily because _Jongdae did not run_ to find Yixing next to his car, looking around thoughtfully. A smile bloomed on his face when he caught sight of Jongdae and it made him feel things he'd never felt before. Warm and fuzzy? What even _is_ that?

"I thought I'd find you here," Yixing said with a little giggle. Jongdae wanted to cry because it was too soft and precious and cute and there was no way Jongdae deserved this. 

"Y-yeah," Jongdae responded awkwardly, unlocking the doors. "We can talk in my car if you want."

"Sure!"

Jongdae was confused but followed him into the backseat anyways. 

"It's so nice in here," Yixing said softly. 

"Really?" 

"There's actually space to spread out. And no band equipment is going to hit me." Again, Jongdae was confused. This time, Yixing noticed. 

"Oh yeah," He said with a laugh. "We always travel around in Minseok's van, which is also his band's van, and Yifan always calls shotgun so I'm in the back with all the drums and guitars and amps and stuff. Minseok isn't the best driver so whenever he brakes all the band stuff crashes into me." Jongdae frowned, knowing that Yixing was joking but still not liking the idea of him being hurt by anything ever. They were silent for a few moments, Jongdae anxious but Yixing comfortable in it. 

"How do you feel about all of this?" Yixing asked. Jongdae sighed. 

"To be completely honest? I'm terrified. I've been into you for way too long and I'm just....not good enough for you. Like, I'm the most pessimistic, boring, mean lil shit you'll ever meet. You deserve someone cooler and happier and better." Jongdae looked up at him. Yixing's eyes were staring into his, and he was quiet. He finally looked away, and butterflies were building in Jongdae's chest as he waited for Yixing to respond. 

"I don't think that's true. You see, since the day I first saw you in sophomore year I was drawn to you. Like our energies were bound together, you know? So how could you not be good enough for me? You were meant for me." 

"I'm only going to bring you down," Jongdae mumbled. 

"No no no, you're not! _I'm_ going to bring you _up_! I promise," Yixing said, smiling at Jongdae and reaching for his hands, interlacing them together. Sparks flew between them and Jongdae felt his face grow hot. 

"I'm personally pretty excited. You're lovely," Yixing said, so sincerely that Jongdae thought he was going to cry. 

"You're too lovely. That's the problem." Yixing giggled and blushed and Jongdae felt like magic. He made Yixing _blush_? 

The car became silent but it felt different this time. Yixing wanted him. Yixing. His dream boy for the past two years. How could life change so quickly? They spent minutes just looking at each other, then looking away, unable to stop smiling. Jongdae couldn't believe he got so lucky. 

"I really want to kiss you," Yixing said with a small smile. Joonmyeon frowned and looked around his car. 

"I've never been kissed." Truthfully he was embarrassed, being sixteen and never being kissed was a little bit shameful to him. 

"Then it's special," Yixing answered, without judgement, and Jongdae felt relief and affection wash over him. "Do you want to kiss me?" 

"Y-yeah."

Yixing smiled at him before shutting his eyes and leaning in, and Jongdae followed suit. 

The only thought in Jongdae's head when Yixing's lips touched his was _finally_. It felt like he'd been meant to kiss Yixing's plush lips his entire life and that a part of him had finally been satisfied. He was so tender in the way his breath fanned across Jongdae's face and in the way his head tilted and their lips meshed together perfectly. It was just _right_. 

The sparks passing between them weren't nearly as uncomfortable and jarring as before, but they were still just as prevalent. Now it was comfortable and safe and instead of being sharp, it felt like pixie dust passing between them. 

Yixing's eyes fluttered open as he pulled away slowly, and Jongdae couldn't stop himself from smiling more genuinely than he had in a very long time. Yixing smiled back when he saw it. 

"I've never seen you smile like that," Yixing mumbled. He _noticed_ and Jongdae laughed out of pure joy. Yixing smiled, snuggling into the seat of Jongdae's car. "You're so handsome when you smile."

Jongdae leaned over and pecked Yixing's pink dusted cheek. 

"God, I can't stop smiling."

"I'm glad, then I'll always get to see your handsome face," Yixing said. 

"Oh my god!" Jongdae screamed, laughing at how ridiculous they were being. Had the others been this loving when they'd first realized? Jongdae didn't think so, but then again he and Yixing had been privately building up to this for years. "You're driving me crazy!" 

They just laughed, because everything was so perfect already. How could it not be? 

Suddenly, Jongdae became serious. 

"Yixing..." 

"What?" he responded nervously. Jongdae paused for a moment and turned to look out the window. 

"We're still in the school parking lot." Jongdae turned back to at Yixing and they burst out laughing again. 

"Someone probably saw us kissing," Yixing whined. 

"I hope so." Jongdae kissed Yixing yet again and god he was still unable to believe that those were his lips to kiss. He didn't think he could ever get used to it. 

The sound of crashing filled their ears and they turned to look out the window. One of the security guards was locking up the school parking lot. 

"Shit," Jongdae mumbled. They both ran out of the backseat and dove into the front seat, Jongdae starting the car immediately. 

"Sorry!" They both called to the security guard as they zoomed out of the parking lot and onto the highway. 

"Where to?" Yixing asked. Jongdae pulled out his phone for a quick moment. 

"Fuck, I forgot my mom wanted me home so that I would do some SAT studying." Yixing frowned. "But I'll give you a ride home." Yixing perked up immediately, directing Jongdae to his house in his beautiful lilting voice. Jongdae thought he could listen to the sound all day. 

When they pulled up outside, Jongdae happily realized that it wasn't too far from his own home. He got out at the same time as Yixing, and they immediately reached to give each other a hug. 

"This is going to be amazing Jongdae. Trust yourself. I promise you," Yixing muttered into his ear. Jongdae just held Yixing closer. 

"I'm just glad you want me." They kissed quickly before looking each other in the eyes and parting. 

Jongdae drove all the way home in a daze; he was lucky he didn't get into any accidents. When he walked through the door, his mom looked at him strangely. 

"Hey honey! What's up?" She asked. Jongdae almost never came home later than immediately after school ended. He looked at her with his dazed smile and giggled. 

"Nothing."

She smiled; it was obvious she knew exactly what happened. But she wanted Jongdae to tell her himself. 

"I'm just glad to see you smile again." 


	14. Chapter 14

The next day when Jongdae arrived at school, his bad mood was back. He was crabby from not having seen Yixing all night and there was _no way_ he would be able to concentrate at school today. He brain would just be saying _Yixing, Yixing, Yixing_ until he went crazy. 

"Jongdae," a soft voice called out. Jongdae turned around and immediately a smile formed on his face. 

"Hey Yixing."

Immediately, he was struck by just how good he looked. He was wearing his usual tie dye shirt, loose light wash jeans, and bright smile. He also was carrying a guitar case, and Jongdae couldn't help but feel boring standing next to him. 

"How are you?" Yixing asked, leaning against the locker next to Jongdae's. Even though they had kissed and touched yesterday, Jongdae felt weird about being so affectionate in the middle of the school hallway. 

"Ugh. I really don't want to go to class."

"Then don't."

"What?"

"Don't go. We could take a mental health day," Yixing said. Jongdae had never skipped class before, but he didn't have anything important to do that day nor would he be able to pay attention. Anyways, what was more important (and what he truly wanted) was to get to know Yixing better. 

"Sure."

"Great! Let's go."

Jongdae slammed his locker shut and the pair rushed out of school, hopping into Jongdae's car before a security guard could stop them, driving off of school grounds as quickly as they could. 

"Holy shit," Jongdae said, starting to laugh once they got onto the highway.

Yixing gave him an affectionate grin. "What?"

"I just left school. At eight thirty am. On a Thursday." 

"It's for your mental health."

Jongdae laughed more. He always seemed to laugh a lot around Yixing; maybe he was making up for all of the years where he hardly laughed at all. 

"So what are we doing today?" Jongdae asked, driving aimlessly down the highway. 

"Since we are taking a mental health day, obviously we have to go out to nature. And we need to get lunch."

"Okay cool. Let's go to the grocery store then," Jongdae said, pulling off the highway and driving into the parking lot of the grocery store. 

When they got inside they immediately interlaced their fingers, sparks flowing through Jongdae's hands and a smile forming on his face. He felt like such an adult; going grocery shopping with his soulmate. It was weird but Jongdae wanted so bad to get used to it, to have this feeling all the time. 

"We're on a mission here. To get yummy snacks. Where are the snacks? We must find the snacks," Yixing mumbled in a cute tone. Jongdae chuckled at him as Yixing power walked to the snack aisle, pulling Jongdae along. He grabbed a basket and starting putting all kinds of candy, cookies, and chips into it. 

"Do you have the munchies or something?"

"Not yet. But you always have to be prepared," Yixing said in a serious voice as he put yet another box of pop tarts into the basket. Finally, he turned back to Jongdae. 

"Oh, do you want anything?"

Jongdae chuckled and shook his head, looking in the basket. "I think we have enough food for the next week." Yixing smiled and they went to the checkout, Jongdae offering to pay but Yixing forcefully pushing his hand away. 

They got back into Jongdae's car and put their snacks in the backseat next to Yixing's guitar, grabbing a bag of oreos for the drive. 

"Head down the highway towards the north; I'll tell you when the exit is," Yixing said. 

"You can take the aux cord if you want," Jongdae offered. Yixing grinned and plugged his phone, soft guitar filtering through the speaker. 

"This is pretty," Jongdae said softly. 

"Girl from the North Country, Bob Dylan."

"Oh! I know that guy. I guess I've never listened to his music before."

"You'll be hearing a lot of him, if you let me take the aux cord often enough." Jongdae smiled as Yixing ate another oreo. 

"Want one?" Yixing asked. Jongdae nodded, and Yixing pulled one out of the bag, putting it in front of Jongdae's mouth. He opened his mouth and Yixing pushed it in. They shared a giggle before Jongdae shook his head, forcing himself to concentrate on the road.

"I know this one!" Jongdae excitedly cried as the next song came on the stereo.

"I love Helplessly Hoping."

Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young began to sing and Jongdae sang along, remembering the road trips he used to take with parents when he was younger and things were easier. His parents would play this song and sing along with all of the words, the harmony of their voices filling the car. Yixing's voice joined his own and he was taken back, to before his world was full of emptiness, when the future was just waiting to be explored.

He looked at Yixing and he was amazed. Yixing was looking back at him, the way Joonmyeon looked at Yifan, the way Noah looked at Allie in the Notebook (which Baekhyun had forced him to watch), the way his father looked at his mother. Like he loved him. 

Jongdae had given up on the idea that he ever could be loved. 

But here Yixing was, changing everything. 

"You sing beautifully," Yixing said quietly. Jongdae shook his head. 

"My voice isn't that good," he answered. "Not like Baekhyun's."

"No. Your voice is amazing."

Jongdae smiled softly; he didn't have to answer.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Where are Yixing and Jongdae?" Zitao asked his friends as he and Sehun got to their usual lunch spot, hand in hand. They all shrugged at Sehun and Zitao as they dropped their bags onto the ground. 

"We don't know," Yifan responded. 

"Jongdae texted us that he and Yixing were taking a mental health day," Kyungsoo explained, Jongin looking over his shoulder at his texts. 

"More like a let's have sex day," Minseok mumbled, and the group chuckled. Zitao laughed too, about to sit down with the others when Sehun started pulling on his arm.

"What?"

"Follow me," Sehun said quietly. Zitao agreed as Sehun took him a few feet away from where the others were, behind a tree. Zitao didn't question; this was his soulmate. 

"I-I want to kiss you again, but I'm a bit too shy to do it in front of the others," Sehun admitted. Zitao smirked. He would _much_ rather make out with Sehun than sit with his other friends. 

Zitao hesitantly wrapped his arms around Sehun's slender waist, still keeping their bodies a few inches apart out of awkwardness. But Sehun, for once, broke the awkwardness by resting his arms on Zitao's shoulder and kissing him without delay. 

"Mmph," Zitao said into Sehun's mouth, unprepared for his eagerness, but he responded to it right away, kissing Sehun back with as much force as he gave off. They stumbled a while until they settled upon leaning against a tree, Zitao pushing Sehun hard against it. 

It felt easier than last time, getting used to the whole idea of kissing, so when Sehun opened his mouth Zitao knew he had permission to slide their tongues together. It felt kind of dirty, making out at school, but Sehun didn't seem to mind at all. 

When the finally pulled away for air they stared at each other straight in the eye, giving them almost as much electricity as physical touching did. 

"You're so bold when it comes to this kind of stuff," Zitao said in between pants. 

"It's because you're so attractive. Because I want you so bad." It sent a shiver down Zitao's spine, mostly because that was the first time Sehun had complimented him without stuttering and blushing and looking at his feet and it was _really_ hot. That was all Zitao needed to lean back in and recapture his lips, their bodies pressing closer and closer together. 

"Oh god ew," the two boys heard a loud voice yell, breaking their kiss. They turned to see Yifan looking at them with a sad and disgusted expression on his face. "I did not want to see my fucking fourteen year old brother making out."

"I'm sorry Yifan," Joonmyeon said, running over and holding his hand. 

"Really? Again?" Zitao yelled to his brother. Sehun stared at the floor uncomfortably, his skin as red as a tomato. "I can't believe we got caught again."

"One day we can be alone," Sehun mumbled, shyly holding Zitao's hand. They walked back to the group with the others, where Yifan's head was in his palms and Joonmyeon was rubbing his back. 

"What happened?" Jongin asked, looking back at forth between Yifan, Sehun, and Zitao. 

"Yifan saw them making out," Joonmyeon explained. 

"So that's where you guys went," Minseok hummed, pulling a cigarette out of his back pocket. "That's something I would fucking do." Zitao rolled his eyes and Sehun continued staring at the ground, but he quietly started chuckling. 

"Look at how jealous Jongin is," Zitao whispered into Sehun's ear. Sehun looked up for a brief moment to see Jongin's stony expression, directed their way, and Kyungsoo rolling his eyes. Sehun chuckled more, leaning against Zitao. 

"At least we're not clueless like them," Sehun whispered back. Zitao grinned and twisted Sehun's blonde hair in his fingers, smiling to himself. Was it just him, or was Sehun becoming less shy? He wanted to believe that he was the reason behind it. 

~~~~~~~~~~

They spent the rest of the ride in comfortable silence, Yixing occasionally feeding Jongdae oreos as music played softly out of his car speaker. 

"Oh! Pull off here!" Yixing said, pointing to an inconspicuous highway exit. Jongdae drove down it, road slowly turning into gravel, gravel slowly turning to the crunching of leaves beneath the car. 

"Stop," Yixing called once they reached a clearing in the forest. Jongdae stopped the car and left it, inhaling the air around him. They were surrounded by redwood trees, and it smelled wonderful (probably because it smelled like Yixing). Sunlight filtered in through the leaves, but even if Jongdae tilted his head all the way up he couldn't see the tops of the trees. 

"This is beautiful," Jongdae said in awe, but Yixing's eyes were only on him. 

"I love this spot."

"Joonmyeon told me about where Yifan took him on their first real date. He said you discovered that place, and now you're taking me here. How do you find all these spots?"

Yixing shrugged. "Finding nature is my favorite pastime. We may live in a suburb but we're so close to the earth, so why not seek it out?"

Yixing grabbed the things in the backseat and walked over a few feet from the car and sat on the ground with the dirt and leaves. Jongdae followed, sitting across from Yixing as he pulled snacks out of the bag. He tossed them each a bag of chips and they started eating. 

Yixing put his chips down for a moment and Jongdae did the same. "I've wanted to do this all day," Yixing mumbled, leaning over and kissing Jongdae. Jongdae reached up, threading his fingers through Yixing's dark brown locks. Yixing's kisses were so tender and it took all his nerve to pull away. He smiled at Yixing and Yixing beamed back, their faces almost touching, Yixing's hand resting on his knee. Electricity flowed from the spot but Jongdae could only focus on Yixing's face. 

"It's nice to see you smile. You didn't smile much before now."

"I wasn't happy much before now."

"Why?"

Jongdae sighed. "Well, you see, I consider myself to be an observer. I see things, I watch things, and I always have. I always kind of feel just like an outsider looking in at the world around me, rather than someone who is present in the world. And honestly, for all of my noticing all I've noticed is the ways that people are cruel to one another and the way people are hurt without remorse. I feel like you know what I'm talking about, like you're an observer too. But you're so joyous, and I don't understand how." 

"I know what you mean," Yixing spoke after a long silence. "But the thing about being observant is that you have the ability to notice the good. I've found that the good is in the small things, you know? The smell of the trees, the melody of a song, all of that. And that's why I spend so much time out in nature. Because people _can_ be cruel, but out here you can really appreciate the beauty of the world, because that's what you notice." 

Jongdae sighed again because Yixing was _so_ right and how did he get so damn lucky?

"You...you're right."

"Try it out. What's something small you notice right now that's beautiful?" 

"Your dimple." 

Yixing's gaze turned shy. "You're too sweet."

Jongdae leaned over and quickly kissed his lips, but Yixing held his face and made him stay for longer. Jongdae exhaled through his nose as their lips met, holding Yixing's waist protectively. They held the kiss for a few seconds before Yixing pulled him into a tight hug. 

"Can we cuddle?" He asked quietly. Jongdae nodded and laid down, and Yixing laid on top of him. Yixing snuggled into Jongdae's chest and Jongdae wrapped his arms around him. 

"It's funny," Yixing mumbled so as not to disturb the quiet of nature, "The day before the power plant explosion, before this whole thing began, me and Yifan did shrooms together."

"What are shrooms?"

"Psychadelic mushrooms."

Jongdae's eyes widened slightly before nodding, and Yixing continued. 

"So when I was tripping, mother nature visited me. I don't do shrooms very often but when I do, she always visits me and gives me important advice. Anyways, when she visited me then, she told me that I would meet the love of my life soon. I was so confused. I was like _Why? I'm only seventeen_ but she assured me it would be perfect and it wouldn't matter that I was so young. I remember exactly what she told me; she said _You'll put his soul back together and in exchange he'll love you forever_. You know, she likes to rhyme a lot."

"So what you're telling me, is that you were super high on drugs, and you got a vision of mother nature, and she told you that we'd meet?" Jongdae asked incredulously.

"Exactly," Yixing answered, like it was the most natural thing in the world. 

"You really are a hippie," Jongdae mumbled, and Yixing chuckled and reached up to kiss his jawline. 

They laid like that for who knows how many hours, losing track of time amongst the sound of birds and trees and soft chatter between them. The sun raised high in the sky and then sank lower, heating up their young bodies but not uncomfortably. 

"You play guitar, right?" Jongdae eventually asked. Yixing nodded. "Would you play for me?"

Yixing happily nodded again, leaping up to go grab his guitar. Jongdae sat up, stretching out his stiff muscles from laying in the same position for so long. Yixing pulled the guitar out of its case and tuned it by ear, strumming a few quick chords before looking up at Jongdae. 

"I think you'll know this song," he spoke, and started to play. 

Jongdae recognized it immediately as Across the Universe by the Beatles. Yixing sang the lyrics in his soft voice, and Jongdae felt as though he'd become lost in a sort of dream. The forest, Yixing, the music; everything was magical. His delicate fingers strummed the chords perfectly, his soft hair fell a little bit over his eyes. Yixing's eyes were wide, the beautiful shade of brown easily visible to Jongdae, alternating between looking down at his guitar and up at his soulmate. His voice sounded as gentle as a leaf drifting off of a tree in fall, his plush pink lips forming the lyrics. All he could do is watch Yixing and his guitar with an expression of pure awe. He was talented and beautiful and perfect in every way in Jongdae's eyes. He'd never been in love before, but Jongdae knew he was falling. 

At the end of his performance Jongdae was left speechless, and the only way he could show Yixing how much he appreciated his performance and him as a person was by reaching across the small space between them and kissing him. Yixing was surprised at first but kissed back with everything he had. 

"Did you like it?"

"God, Yixing, I loved it," Jongdae said, barely stopping himself from saying I love you, not wanting to come off like a creep because _fuck_ this was only the second day they'd really talked. Jongdae stayed close to Yixing, tucking a lock of his hair behind his ear, his affection turning Yixing's cheeks a wonderful shade of pink. 

"One day you'll have to sing while I play," Yixing said. He pulled away from Jongdae to put the guitar back into its case. 

"Won't you play me more?" 

Yixing pouted. "I think it's getting late, and I know you have a curfe." The trees blocked most of the skyline but the light was low now; the sun was about to set. 

"Oh shit." Jongdae sighed. "I guess we should get going then."

Yixing only nodded, the air quickly turning somber. They piled back into Jongdae's car, driving down back home, trying to retain the magic for just a little bit longer.

And a little bit of it lasted Jongdae through the night.


	15. Chapter 15

As soon as Jongdae arrived at school on Friday, Yixing bounded his way over to Jongdae's locker. Staring back at him with that never fading smile, Jongdae immediately felt all of his tension wash away.

He tried to listen to Yixing's advice about happiness and finding the small but wonderful things in the world. Right now, it was the way Yixing looked at him, the way his hair fell over his face, the way his eyes sparkled. 

"Good morning!" Jongdae simply melted at the sound of Yixing's scratchy morning voice, and the thought of waking up beside him filled Jongdae's head: seeing him in pajamas with bed head, the first thing he would see would be his pretty face. Jongdae thought that if he could ever experience such a thing, maybe he wouldn't hate mornings so much. 

"Morning." Despite everything his tone was dismal, pulling his books out of his locker. He didn't like the idea of going to class; the day before had been so much fun, but he really had to go that day. 

"Yesterday was perfect," Yixing said, his voice gentle as he scooted closer to Jongdae.

Jongdae smiled and looked up at his soulmate. "It really was. I think it was the best day of my life."

He shut his locker and leaned on it, pulling Yixing closer. 

"Mine too." Yixing reached up to brush a bit of Jongdae's hair out of his eyes, and Jongdae looked down shyly. He'd always hated the kids who did public displays of affection with their partners in the middle of school, but right now all he wanted was to kiss Yixing. Yixing decided for Jongdae, gently placing his lips on his forehead. It wasn't enough for Jongdae though, so he pulled Yixing back in and kissed him for real. 

In that kiss, Jongdae realized the reason he had hated other couples' PDA before: simply, he was jealous. He thought he'd never have someone who wanted to kiss him or even be seen with him in public. But here was Yixing, kissing him back, his hands tangling through Jongdae's hair, and the thought of how lucky he was crossed Jongdae's mind. The electricity flowing between them gave Jongdae more energy than a huge cup of coffee, and Jongdae sure as hell needed it. 

The pair were only broken apart by a chorus of cheers coming from across the hall. They turned and looked, Jongdae's hands still on Yixing's waist, to see Yifan, Joonmyeon, Kyungsoo, and Jongin cheering them on. 

"Woohoo!" Joonmyeon said. 

"Yeah, get some," Yifan added. 

"Kiss like soulmates are supposed to!" Jongin spoke before staring pointedly at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo just death glared at him and Jongin looked at the floor before he had to face his wrath. Jongdae and Yixing blushed, Yixing shyly burying his head in Jongdae's shoulder as they laughed. 

"You guys," Jongdae whined, annoyed but still unable to hide his proud smile. Yixing hugged Jongdae, head still resting on Jongdae's shoulder, and Jongdae held him closer. Jongdae always wondered how Yixing smelled so good, the scent seeping into his nostrils and driving him crazy. 

"Um...e-excuse me....c-can I get to my locker?" A tiny freshman girl asked Jongdae, tapping on his shoulder. Jongdae and Yixing blushed even harder, sitting up and moving out of the way of the poor girl. Jongin and Kyungsoo had left for class already but Yifan and Joonmyeon were still there, laughing at the pair as they tried to navigate their way around the girl. 

"Shut up!" Jongdae whined at them again. The bell suddenly rang, and all four of them frowned. Yifan and Joonmyeon left so Yifan could walk Joonmyeon to class, and Yixing turned to Jongdae

"Can I walk you to class?"

"Of course."

"What class is it?"

"AP US history," Jongdae explained. 

"Oh yeah, I took that last year."

"I didn't think you were the type to take AP classes."

Yixing chuckled. "Yeah, me neither. I've taken a few though. Right now I'm in AP government." Jongdae smiled up at his boyfriend. How could he have doubted his intelligence? He may be a stoner, but that doesn't mean he can't work hard too. 

When they got outside Jongdae's classroom, both of them frowned. They wanted so badly to hop into Jongdae's car and run away, like they had the day before, but both of them resisted, knowing they at least had some responsibilities. 

"Bye for now," Yixing said in a sad voice that made Jongdae's heart break in two. 

"Yeah."

Yixing forced a smile onto his face. "I'll see you at lunch though, right?"

"Of course." Despite the shittiness of class, Yixing's smile perked him up a little bit. The clock said there was less than a minute left before the next class started, so Jongdae quickly kissed Yixing's jawline and walked into class. He watched Yixing go, a big smile on his face, and the image filled Jongdae's head until he could see him again. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After school, Sehun and Zitao waited for Sehun's mother at the front curb by the entrance. It had become a sort of tradition for them; it was their only time alone together because they ate lunch with everyone else. 

When Zitao sat down next to Sehun that day, reaching over to interlace their fingers, Sehun shoved his hand away with a pout on his face. Sehun hadn't been angry at him at lunch and Zitao couldn't think of anything he'd done... 

"What's wrong?" Zitao asked. Sehun just looked back at him and pouted. 

"Do you even like me?" He whined.

Zitao looked at him incredulously. "Sehun! Of course I like you! What are you even talking about?"

Sehun shrugged and continued pouting. "Then why haven't you asked me to be your boyfriend?"

"Sehun, we're already boyfriends. Come on. Do I really have to say it out loud?" 

Despite Zitao's over so slight annoyance, the shy nod Sehun gave him melted his heart.

"Will you hold my hand at school now?"

"Of course! I thought you might just be shy to."

Sehun shook his head and reached for Zitao's hand. "I'm not shy to when I'm with you."

"Sehun! I thought you hated me. You can't just be mad at me for something as small as that."

"I'm sorry Tao," he said without remorse. 

"Ugh, you're so dramatic."

"Says the biggest drama queen since Byun Baekhyun," Sehun answered. 

"Am not!" Zitao whined. Sehun just laughed at him and Zitao rolled his eyes. "Fine, I guess I am."

Sehun leaned over, resting his head comfortably on Zitao's shoulder. Zitao kissed the top of his head and Sehun blushed softly, squeezing Zitao's hand. 

"You're my boyfriend," Sehun said in a quiet, sing song voice. Zitao chuckled and looked him over. 

"You're too cute," he answered.

Sehun looked up at Zitao with a small smile. "And you're too handsome."

"I'm glad you can say these things to me without getting too shy."

"Yeah, I've been feeling a lot more confident lately because of you. Before middle school I wasn't really shy at all, so I think my boldness is coming back..."

"I don't think you even know how happy that makes me feel. I'm just glad I'm doing good by you."

"I just hope I make you feel as happy as you make me."

"Oh trust me, you do. Me and Yifan have battles over who can talk about their soulmate the longest."

Sehun smiled and chuckled, brushing Zitao's hair out of his eyes. "You know, your brother is really cool. And your friends too. It's nice to hang out with people my own age."

"Who did you hang out with before?" Zitao asked. 

"My parents. Since I didn't have any friends in middle school I would hang out with my mom. She's still my best friend." 

"I'm really close with my mom too. She's busy a lot so I don't see her very much, but she's still one of my favorite people in the world."

"I'd like to meet her. I mean, you've already met my mom."

"That was not under good circumstances!" Zitao cried. 

"Well then you'll have to meet her for real." They were silent for a moment, anxiety bubbling up in Zitao when he realized he eventually would have to tell Sehun about his family situation, but he suppressed it and tried to focus on this moment with Sehun. He didn't get moments alone with him very often so he needed to appreciate it. 

"We should go on another date soon," Zitao said, changing the subject. 

"Definitely. What kind of things do you like to do?"

"Watch movies, listen to music, just hang out. You?"

"Pretty much same. Come to think of it, I don't really have any hobbies," Sehun said with a giggle. 

"Me neither...maybe we should get a hobby together or something..." 

"What about making out? That's a hobby," Sehun mumbled. 

"I mean...we could practice right now-" As soon as the words left Zitao's lips Sehun turned to him and kissed him, _hard_. Steadying himself with a hand on the pavement, Zitao's hands pushed back through Sehun's blonde hair, leaning in closer. Sehun's hands rested on Zitao's shoulder, swiping his tongue against Zitao's lower lip. Zitao opened his mouth, and they made out in broad daylight on that curb, not caring if anyone saw because they were dumb freshman soulmates and they knew it. 

Suddenly a car pulled up across the street and honked loudly. 

"Again?" A woman yelled to Zitao and Sehun, and they quickly broke apart. Both of them blushed a deep red as they realized it was Sehun's mom here to pick up her son. 

"Sorry!" Zitao called apologetically as Sehun gathered his things. He was about to run over to the car but instead, the woman hopped out of the car and walked over to them. 

"I think it's time that I met the boy my son seems to have taken such a liking to." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and looked down at the ground. "I'm Sehun's mother," she introduced, holding out her hand. Zitao shook it, still blushing. 

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Oh," he responded in his most polite voice.

She just chuckled. "Say goodbye Sehun, we have some errands to do."

Sehun reached over and hugged Zitao tightly, turning to an angle where his mother couldn't see and kissing him on the cheek. Zitao smiled as Sehun ran back into his car, unable to get the soulmate sparks to leave him for hours on end. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After rehearsals, Baekhyun hopped into Chanyeol's car (like usual). It had become a tradition for the two of them; meeting every day after their practices to talk and make out. They both were fed up with avoiding each other for days and getting sick because of it, so they just gave in. 

Baekhyun's anger had moved from being placed on Chanyeol to being placed on himself. Why couldn't he resist the way his body was making him feel? Why couldn't he resist his own _bully_ anymore? It made him too upset, so he pushed it out of his mind. He made up for it by being cold towards Chanyeol, but it was hard to even do that any more. He hadn't ever been as loving towards Chanyeol as on Sunday night when he snuck out to hang out in his car. That was his only consolation. 

Chanyeol wasn't helping with the situation at all. He was always so kind towards Baekhyun, and he looked so good, and Baekhyun heard through Jongin that he was even sort of sticking up for the freshman when the football team would tease him for being gay. It made Baekhyun feel slightly better about falling for him, but at the same time this _was_ the guy who treated him so cruelly for so long. If Baekhyun hadn't come into his life, he don't think Chanyeol would have ever changed, and the thought was beyond disheartening. 

"Hello beautiful," Chanyeol mumbled when Baekhyun got into his car, shutting the door loudly. Baekhyun rolled his eyes, and Chanyeol handed him a box of curly fries, as usual. Baekhyun smiled and ate them. At least he was getting free food. 

"Can I touch you?" Chanyeol asked. He always asked for permission, no matter what he wanted to do, and Baekhyun was grateful for it. He believed that Chanyeol recognized that there was still fear of him in Baekhyun's heart because of the ways he'd hurt him. 

"Sure." Baekhyun hid his excitement with a disheartened tone; he didn't want Chanyeol to think he'd been waiting all day for this. Chanyeol leaned across the car and kissed Baekhyun on the cheek, a huge grin on his face afterwards. Baekhyun ignored it, trying not to blush, simply because he made Chanyeol feel that way. He ignored the sparks trailing from his cheek out to his whole body, clouding his mind. 

"How are you?" Chanyeol asked, a dazed look still in his eyes. 

"Fine." He was still torn up emotionally, but at least now he could sleep at night, and he was starting to enjoy life a little bit more when he hung out with his friends. His enjoyment of theatre was coming back too. 

"That's better than before." They sat in silence as Baekhyun finished his curly fries, putting the empty box in the back seat. "So...how's the musical coming?"

"Pretty good. Everyone has all of their lines down; now it's just a matter of perfecting them. For some reason the bitch they casted as the female lead is absolute shit; she has the most monotonous voice I've ever heard. To be honest, she's the most monotonous person I've ever met. It's so annoying."

Chanyeol frowned and stared at his lap pointedly. 

"Are you jealous?" Baekhyun asked incredulously. Chanyeol nodded, his wet hair flapping around. He looked like a lost puppy. 

"First of all, I'm gay as hell. Second of all, I literally just described to you how much I dislike this girl. Why would you be jealous?"

Chanyeol shrugged. "I didn't know there was a female lead."

Baekhyun laughed. 

"You're a dumbass."

"True. And anyways, I'm jealous because probably anyone in the world is better for you than me. Anyone half decent could take you away from me, and with good reason too. I'm just lucky that the chemicals in us wanted us to be together."

Baekhyun couldn't deny what he said, at all, so he stayed silent. 

Silence was always so heavy between him and Chanyeol. Baekhyun knew that they were both extremely talkative people, so the quiet was never comfortable. It meant that there were too many words unsaid between them, that they were hurting and they didn't know what to do. They were both too young and too inexperienced to have been thrown into a situation like this, but what could they do? They were supposed to fall in love. It was destiny, and destiny that Baekhyun had fought so hard to deny. But how much longer could he resist like this? The silence was too heavy. It made him think too much. He had to speak. 

Suddenly, Baekhyun remembered something Jongin had said a few days ago, and he couldn't stop himself from being curious about it. 

"Where do you eat lunch?"

"Huh?"

"Where do you eat lunch?" Baekhyun repeated. He thought Jongin had said that Chanyeol didn't eat with the football team anymore, and Baekhyun wanted to see if it was true or not. 

Chanyeol sighed. "I usually just eat in here."

"In your car? By yourself?"

He nodded. 

"Oh," Baekhyun spoke, trying to ignore the sadness in his heart. 

"I want to be better for you. And most of them, minus Jongin and a few of the other freshman, are not good people. They influence me in bad ways. So I avoid them. So I can be better for you."

Despite himself, a frown formed on Baekhyun's face. "But it's lonely to eat alone." 

Chanyeol shrugged. "It's worth it. They're not nice anyways." 

After a few moments of heavy silence Baekhyun gave in and reached out for Chanyeol's hand. He held it tightly, looking away from Chanyeol, but his eyes darting back to him every so often. Chanyeol looked shocked at first; Baekhyun almost never initiated physical contact unless it was three in the morning, but his expression quickly morphed into one of joy. He wasn't smiling but his eyes were wide, like he would cry from happiness, and his fingers curled around Baekhyun's hand. They were so much bigger than his and it made Baekhyun feel small and special. 

"Fuck," Baekhyun mumbled. He shouldn't do this to himself. He checked the clock and yanked his hand out of Chanyeol's, gathering his things. "I'm so late to pick up my friends. I have to go."

He darted out of the car without even sparing a glance at Chanyeol. But as Baekhyun ran to his own car, he couldn't help but stare back through Chanyeol's car window. His head was resting on the steering wheel, and his chest rose and fell at an uneven pace. His knuckles were white from gripping the wheel so hard, and Baekhyun had to run away before he couldn't resist running back to Chanyeol and telling him all the things he shouldn't say. 


	16. Chapter 16

In the early evening on a lazy Saturday, Kyungsoo and Joonmyeon were talking on the phone. 

"I need your help with something," Kyungsoo said. 

"Me too," Joonmyeon answered. Kyungsoo sighed; he was a little bit embarrassed by what he's about to ask for. 

"So, Jongin invited me to hang out at his house tonight. I don't want to tell my parents about him yet and they'd never let me go over to a friend's house, other than yours, so late at night. So could I possibly tell my parents I'm at your place?"

"Ooh, you two having a little date?"

"It's a study session, okay? We're studying."

Joonmyeon laughed. "It's no problem with me Soo. I was actually going to ask for something similar. So, Minseok has his concert tonight and I really want to go, but you know my parents..."

"This is perfect! I'll tell my parents that I'm at your place and you tell them you're at my place."

"Oh, that's perfect! Have a good time!"

"You too," Kyungsoo answered before hanging up. 

He knew this whole thing might be a bad idea, seeing as how his and Joonmyeon's parents were friends, but Kyungsoo desperately missed Jongin. The only time they'd spent together had been during lunch with all of the others, and it wasn't nearly enough. Kyungsoo barely knew him, and sincerely wondered why he should miss him, but the chemicals in his brain worked in mysterious ways. 

Kyungsoo gathered his books and pencils (he really did plan on studying) before heading towards the door. 

"Where are you headed?" His mom asked. 

"Oh, I'm having a sleepover at Joonmyeon's. Is that okay?" He tried to hide his nervous hands; it wasn't often that he lied to his mother. 

"Of course honey! See you tomorrow."

Kyungsoo waved goodbye and ran out the door. Nervous but excited adrenaline flowed through Kyungsoo's veins as he walked down just a few blocks to get to Jongin's house, happy they lived so close to each other. 

He rang the door bell and Jongin swung open the door within seconds. 

"Hi," Jongin said, looking over Kyungsoo with a small smile. Kyungsoo had dressed nicer than usual for the occassion, and Kyungsoo could see that Jongin had too. 

"Hello." Kyungsoo returned his smile with an awkward grimace, and Jongin stepped aside so Kyungsoo could enter his house. 

"Where are your parents?" Kyungsoo asked, looking around. Since they lived so close together, their homes looked almost exactly the same.

"Oh, they're on vacation. My brother is in college so I'm alone here."

Kyungsoo immediately turned to glare at Jongin. "You didn't think we were gonna...." Jongin looked confused for a moment before his eyes widened. 

"No no no! Of course not! I'm not ready for that!" Jongin responded frantically.

"Good. I'm glad we're on the same page."

Jongin gave Kyungsoo another smile. "My room is up here." He led Kyungsoo up the stairs to his room, carelessly throwing open the door. It was fairly plain, except for a football poster hanging in the corner and a shelf with a few trophies on it. 

"What are those for?" Kyungsoo asked. 

"Football. What else?"

Kyungsoo nodded and looked around, pulling his books out of his bag. "Where should I sit to study?"

Jongin chuckled. "Wait, you actually want to study?"

"Of course. That's what we're here for. What else are we supposed to do?"

"I dunno...I kind of wanted to just talk to you," Jongin said quietly.

Kyungsoo ignored him and sat on the bed, taking a pencil from his bag and opening his textbook. Jongin sat next to him, their legs brushing together. 

"Watcha studying?" 

"AP World."

Jongin looked over his shoulder and both of them blushed at the close proximity. "You're a sophomore and taking an AP? You're so smart."

Kyungsoo turned to look at him, and he was smiling. Kyungsoo couldn't help but smile back, butterflies building in his stomach because of how close together they were. 

He sighed, putting his books and backpack on the floor. He couldn't resist anymore. "Fine, we can talk. I don't need to study anyways." A big smile bloomed on Jongin's face. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Joonmyeon always felt ridiculous when he waited for Yifan to come pick him up, staring obsessively out the window like some sort of creep. Today he was especially nervous; not only was he lying to his parents, but he was going to a real concert! 

As soon as Joonmyeon heard the roar of the motorcycle accident he ran out the door, almost tripping over the long staircase to the first floor. 

"Where are you going honey?" His mother asked. 

"I'm sleeping over at Kyungsoo's!"

She looked at him with concern. "Are you sure it's okay that you go over so late? It is eight o'clock."

"Yep, I'm sure." He waved goodbye and rushed out the door as quickly as his legs would take him.

As soon as he got to Yifan's motorcycle they pulled each other in for a deep kiss. Joonmyeon hoped his parents weren't looking out the window, but he couldn't find himself to care all that much when he was in Yifan's arms. 

"Let's go," Yifan said. Joonmyeon hopped on the back, and the two of them sped off. 

The venue was in a part of downtown that Joonmyeon had never been to before, a place that his parents had told him to never go. But Joonmyeon wasn't scared at all, in fact he felt alive as he followed Yifan down into the basement of the seedy club. Yifan interlaced their fingers and Joonmyeon smiled, deeply glad that Yifan wasn't afraid to show him off at a place like this. Joonmyeon had worn his most revealing clothes, but it was just a pair of shorts and a short sleeve t-shirt. He was lucky his mom hadn't noticed though; she would've questioned why he wanted to go out in such clothes even though it was freezing outside. 

"Minseok and his band are chilling in the back," Yifan said to him, leaning in close to his ear so Joonmyeon could hear him above the loud chatter. Joonmyeon nodded as Yifan lead him past a security guard to a series of small rooms. Joonmyeon suspected Yifan came here often by the way he seemed to know his way around.

"Hey guys!" Yifan said, opening the door to Minseok's dressing room. Inside was a mirror, a couch, and a bunch of chairs. Zitao and Yixing were sitting on chairs and Minseok was laying on the couch, smoking a cigarette, with a feminine boy with pink hair draped on top of him. Joonmyeon suspected that he was the infamous Luhan. 

"This is Yifan and Joonmyeon," Minseok said, lazily pointing at the couple. 

"I'm Luhan." The pink haired boy was dressed in short-shorts, fishnets, and one of Minseok's hoodies. He hugged Yifan and Joonmyeon, and to Joonmyeon's nose he smelled of bad decisions. 

"It's nice to meet you," Joonmyeon said, playing with his fingers. He felt very uncool standing next to Luhan, but Luhan didn't seem to notice or think anything of it. 

"It's nice to finally meet you too! You're such a cute little twink." Joonmyeon blushed and looked at the ground shyly as Yifan wrapped an arm around his slim shoulders. 

"Sit down guys, we have a while before the show starts," Minseok said. 

"You just want your man back over by you," Zitao teased. 

"Yup," Minseok agreed, and Luhan smiled a bit before laying back on top of Minseok. He stole his cigarette for a quick drag before handing it back to Minseok as Joonmyeon and Yifan sat in the chairs scattered around the messy room. 

"Are you two soulmates?" Luhan asked. 

"Yes, he's my soulmate," Yifan said such a proud voice that Joonmyeon blushed. 

Luhan turned to Yixing and Zitao. "Where are yours?" 

"They have curfews," Zitao explained.

Luhan looked at Joonmyeon curiously. "What about you? You look like the type to have a curfew." Luhan said.

"I told my parents I was going somewhere else," Joonmyeon answered. 

"Fuck, Yifan really is ruining you," Minseok said, taking a drag. 

"I didn't do this for Yifan, I did it because I wanted to support my friend," Joonmyeon whined. 

"Can we all just agree that Joonmyeon is the best?" Minseok said. 

"Yeah, honestly if we had to pick between him and Yifan and I would pick him," Zitao said. 

"Hey, I'm your fucking brother, don't you forget that," Yifan whined at Zitao. 

Suddenly, a bunch of guys burst into the room. Minseok immediately glared at them and Luhan gripped the front of Minseok's shirt. Joonmyeon looked back and forth between the two; he had a feeling this wasn't good. 

"What's up fuckers," Minseok said in a cold tone. 

"Hmm, we decided to stop by so we could watch you fail," one of the guys said. 

"Yeah, you ruined our fucking band. We're much better off without you," another one spoke.

Minseok casually took another drag. "It's not my fault you all wanted to fuck me."

"Cherry Knot over Vaguelly Nauseous any day!" One of them cheered. Joonmyeon scooted closer to Yifan. 

"And look, you've got a bitch," the biggest one said, gesturing to Luhan. Luhan wordlessly glared at all of them. 

"Didn't I fuck you freshman year? Back when you were a little coke whore," he said. Luhan leaned over and kicked him right in the balls, and he toppled over. Joonmyeon just stared on, mouth agape, stunned at the entire situation. 

"Shit, your boyfriend's a slut," one of the others guys said. Minseok's cold glare turned icy and he sat up. 

"Look, if you fuckers don't get out of my dressing room now I'll fucking kill you, I don't even care." Joonmyeon had never heard him speak so aggressively and even he got scared in that moment, and clearly the other guys were intimated too so they left right away. 

"God I knew I hated those guys," Zitao said. Minseok laid back down and Luhan came back on top of him, and Joonmyeon could see Minseok mumbling into Luhan's ear. Luhan's once distant expression turned back into a smile. 

"Those guys suck, but I think they left. You definitely scared them off," Luhan said, poking Minseok's chest. 

"They'd better," Minseok almost growled. 

"If they come back I'll help you fight them off," Yifan added, and Yixing quickly changed the subject. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm really glad you don't want to study," Jongin answered. 

"So what did you want to talk about?" Kyungsoo asked, faking annoyance. 

"I just want to learn more about you. I feel like I don't know you that well....what are your hobbies? What do you like to do?"

So Kyungsoo described to him how he'd always been pretty decent with numbers, and that Joonmyeon had _begged_ him to join student council with him so he wouldn't be alone, how he'd become the treasurer and he actually kind of liked the role even if he hated being on dance committee with all of Jongin's annoying football friends. And then Kyungsoo couldn't stop himself and he told Jongin all about his secret hobby of singing, how he really loved it and practiced every night but showed nobody because he was so scared that they'd laugh at him or think he wasn't good at all. Jongin frowned at the mention of his teammates but otherwise listened, captivated by every word that left Kyungsoo's lips. He was more captivated by Kyungsoo as a person; he had been since the moment he'd laid eyes on the small boy who was one year his senior. 

Jongin was shocked when Kyungsoo asked about him; he really thought Kyungsoo had no interest in him and that he was doing this all because of the soulmate gravity pull. But Jongin talked anyways, described how he fell in love with football even though he hated the entire culture that came with it, how he felt so alive when he was out on that field that he practiced almost twenty four seven. But he also spoke of how it was losing its charm because of his teammates; how his interest was fading away every time they tackled him a bit too hard on the field or told him to change in the bathroom instead of the locker room because they were afraid Jongin would stare. Kyungsoo could see the hurt in Jongin's eyes and it hurt him too, not just because Jongin was his soulmate but because he was a lovely person, a fact that Kyungsoo was furious he didn't realize sooner. 

As they talked, they realized they were both likely in the fact that coming out had been easy. Jongin said he had known since birth and that his parents were accepting, as were his friends back in middle school. But none of his middle school friends went to his high school and that left him vulnerable. High school felt like a second coming out to him, and there was a certain level of fear radiating from him that Kyungsoo had only seen on Baekhyun before. Kyungsoo hadn't realized until last year, the very last of his friends to come out, and he always found it funny that they had all ended up gay despite how different they all were. 

They talked for hours on end, until the sun had disappeared and stars dotted the sky. 

"What time is it?" Kyungsoo asked. Jongin checked his phone. 

"Eleven thirty."

"Shit." He already told his parents he was sleeping over at Joonmyeon's, so he couldn't go home. He hadn't really thought this plan through; Joonmyeon was most definitely still at the concert. 

"You can stay here for the night if you want," Jongin mumbled.

The thought was tempting; Kyungsoo really liked Jongin and didn't want to leave him. 

Kyungsoo exhaled. "Promise you won't try anything?"

"Promise."

"Okay then, fine, I'll stay." He was mad at himself for caving in so easily; he was never the lovey dovey type. 

"Are you tired yet?" Jongin asked. Kyungsoo shook his head. 

"I'm wide awake actually." The butterflies in his stomach were driving him half mad, in fact. The most touching they had done all evening was touch the sides of their thighs, but it was still a lot of electricity, let alone human contact, for Kyungsoo to handle. 

Kyungsoo looked up at him and Jongin was looking at him in the strangest way, something Kyungsoo couldn't understand but it made his skin flush anyways. 

"Have you ever been kissed before?" Jongin suddenly asked. It came out stilted and his voice was a higher pitch than normal. Kyungsoo could only shake his head. 

"Me neither," Jongin admitted quietly, looking down at his lap. Kyungsoo could not shake the blush creeping up his skin. He'd been thinking about it for awhile, how he wanted to have his first kiss with Jongin, but he'd always been mad at himself for even thinking it. 

_What's wrong with liking someone?_ Kyungsoo asked himself. _It's really time you let yourself fall for Jongin. He's a good guy. He won't hurt you. It's time to stop being stubborn._

"If you want you can kiss me," Kyungsoo mumbled. Jongin looked at him as if he'd dreamt it, then smiled nervously. 

"O-okay." He scooted closer to Kyungsoo on the edge of the bed, brushing some of Kyungsoo's hair behind his ear. Kyungsoo flushed immediately, sparks flowing from his skin. If it was this intense already, how would kissing feel? The butterflies Kyungsoo felt only intensified. 

Jongin started to lean closer to him, one hand still on Kyungsoo cheek and the other holding the bed for leverage. Kyungsoo shut his eyes, nervously placing his hands down. They landed on top of Jongin's legs and fuck, there were the sparks again. Kyungsoo could've exploded. 

Kyungsoo leaned a bit forward, and suddenly he felt soft, thick lips pressed up against his own. It was warm and perfect and Kyungsoo felt like he was dying in the best way possible. They stayed frozen like that, not quite sure what to do, until both pulled away for air. 

Both Kyungsoo and Jongin stared at their laps, happy but still shy, until Jongin looked up at Kyungsoo and beamed. 

"That was really nice," he said, and Kyungsoo could tell he meant it. 

"Yeah," Kyungsoo agreed, the only word he could manage. 

"Again?"

Kyungsoo nodded, and Jongin leaned back in. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Since Minseok's band didn't play until ten, all of his friends were still waiting backstage a while later. 

"I'm bored," Luhan whined. Minseok sighed and sat up. 

"I can fix that," he said, reaching behind the couch to pull out a big handle of cheap vodka. Most of the boys cheered while Joonmyeon looked on nervously. 

Minseok took the first swig, a huge gulp, and Luhan did the same. He passed it to Yifan and the tall boy drained about a quarter of the bottle and Joonmyeon looked on with his mouth agape. 

"Okay, I guess I'm getting everyone home tonight," Zitao said with a sigh. 

"I could," Yixing said softly. 

"Dude, you're already high," Yifan answered, as though the alcohol wasn't affecting him at all. He subconsciously passed the bottle to Joonmyeon, and he held it in his small hands. 

"Have you ever drank before?" Minseok asked. Joonmyeon shook his head. 

"You totally don't have to; I'm going sober tonight," Zitao said reassuringly. Joonmyeon was debating it. He was kind of nervous to try, but he knew that Jongdae and Baekhyun had drank before and he wanted to let loose. _To hell with it._ He shook his head and tipped the bottle over, taking as big of a sip as he could before grimacing. He forced himself to swallow the cheap liquor as he handed the bottle to Yixing, who also drank it with ease. 

"That's so gross," he whined. The others laughed. 

"You'll get used to it," Luhan responded. As the bottle made another round once again, Joonmyeon passing up another sip, he began to feel the effects immediately. 

"Wh-when's it starting," he asked, gripping Yifan's leather jacket. 

"Fuck if I know," Yifan answered, and both laughed a little too loudly. Suddenly, two boys and girls walked into the room carrying guitars and drum sticks. 

"Minseok, time to go on stage," they called. Luhan got off of him with a sigh and Minseok stood up. 

"I'm fuckin' ready!" He yelled. The group cheered and headed to the stage through a side door. 

"Cmon babe let's go," Yifan said, leading Joonmyeon by the hand to the standing area right in front of the stage. There was a relatively large crowd waiting for Minseok's band; mostly consisting of high school upperclassmen and college students obviously cooler than Joonmyeon. But he didn't care; his brain felt weird and the sparks were extra jarring when Yifan touched him but he was doing _so good._

"Mmh," Joonmyeon mumbled, leaning against Yifan's chest as Minseok's band set up. 

"Are you drunk? Off one sip of vodka?" Yifan asked. Joonmyeon looked up at him, nodding and giggling. 

"Cutie," Yifan mumbled, and nothing could've stopped them from kissing. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Even though Kyungsoo knew he wouldn't sleep that night, at midnight he figured they should both at least try. Jongin leant him a toothbrush and some pajamas, which were gigantic on him. When he came back from changing in the bathroom, Jongin started giggling. 

"What?" Kyungsoo whined. 

"It's so big! They look really cute on you." Kyungsoo went over to Jongin's full length mirror and pouted at his reflection. Why did he have to be so small?

All of the sudden, Jongin came up behind him and back hugged him. "It's really cute," Jongin repeated. Kyungsoo looked up at him and glared. Jongin shut his mouth and moved off of Kyungsoo, gathering blankets from underneath his bed. 

"How do you usually sleep?"

"I get really cold at night," Kyungsoo explained. Jongin paused for a minute, dropping the blankets and sparing glances at Kyungsoo every few moments. 

"If you want..." Jongin said quietly, figuring out how to say what he wanted, "You could just sleep in my bed with me." Kyungsoo gave him a look. "No no we wouldn't do anything! Just so you'd stay warm! And we can cuddle too," Jongin clarified.

Kyungsoo sighed. Despite everything, cuddling and warm Jongin did sound nice. "Fine."

"Yes!" Jongin pumped his fist, and Kyungsoo rolled his eyes at him affectionately. 

Jongin crawled under the covers and patted the space beside him. Kyungsoo sat down and pulled the covers over himself, and Jongin shut off the light. 

Kyungsoo got nervous as he laid down, but Jongin pulled him in closer and Kyungsoo felt better. He laid on his side and Jongin curled up next to him, throwing an arm over his body. They were _spooning_. Kyungsoo felt as cheesy as Joonmyeon in that moment. 

"Do you still hate me?" Jongin mumbled sadly.

Kyungsoo sighed. "Of course not. Honestly, I just didn't know you before. I made a snap judgement because of Baekhyun's experiences with football players but you're honestly great and I'm dumb for not realizing it sooner. I'm just not good with lovey dovey stuff, you know? But I don't hate you at all. In fact, I really like you, okay?"

There was silence and Kyungsoo was grateful that it was dark and he was facing away from Jongin so he couldn't see how red his face was but suddenly, he was being pelted with kisses. 

"You like me!" Jongin kissed all over Kyungsoo's cheek before pecking his lips. Kyungsoo felt nervous and excited and infatuated all at once as he stared up into Jongin's smiling eyes. 

"I do," Kyungsoo admitted. 

"And I like you too. A lot." He laid back down and held Kyungsoo closer, kissing the side of his neck. 

"Now I can sleep easy," he mumbled tiredly. "Goodnight."

"Gnight." And despite his nerves, Kyungsoo fell into the deepest sleep of his entire life. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After the show, when Joonmyeon's ears were destroyed and his throat was raw from screaming and his body was warm and numb from alcohol, Zitao piled himself, Yifan, and Joonmyeon on the back of the motorcycle and drove off. Joonmyeon couldn't care less that it was dangerous to put three on the vehicle or that Zitao didn't have a license. He was just happy to have Yifan by his side. 

Yifan was just as drunk as Joonmyeon was and it had been quite the hassle for Zitao to get them to settle down and get going before the venue closed at two am. Zitao had insisted Joonmyeon stay the night at their place, because he knew Joonmyeon could not pass for sober, and both Yifan and Joonmyeon were a little too excited to be spending the night together. 

When they finally got home, Zitao immediately got a call from Sehun so he went into the kitchen to talk to him. That left Yifan and Joonmyeon alone together, in their room. 

"Do you know how badly I've been wanting you all night?" Yifan grumbled into Joonmyeon's ear. Joonmyeon felt his heart beat louder in his chest, alcohol taking away all his inhibitions as he reached up to kiss Yifan. 

It was open mouthed and sloppy, just like the way they'd been sneaking touches all night, and Yifan didn't hold back when he reached up and picked Joonmyeon up my the thighs. Joonmyeon released a noise in Yifan's mouth that sounded so cute and sexy at the same time that he thought he had imagined it. He almost threw Joonmyeon down onto him bed, climbing on top of him and pressing their lips together once again. 

Yifan's hands roamed all over Joonmyeon's body, losing all of the control he'd maintained in the previous weeks, and Joonmyeon followed suit and touched Yifan's sturdy body too. It was too hot; he wanted clothes off, so he pulled away from Joonmyeon and pushed his shirt over his head. Joonmyeon responded by pulling Yifan back in, back into those addicting lips, and grinding onto him. 

They simultaneously moaned when jeans brushed together and Joonmyeon circled his hips once, twice, three more times, being a little tease, and Yifan _loved_ every moment of it. 

Yifan reached down to unbutton his pants, sitting up, when he took a moment to look over Joonmyeon. He looked like a mess; his hair was all over the place, his eyes glassy, his lips swollen, his pale chest slightly sheened. Yifan bit his lip. 

"Joonmyeon?" He asked.

His boyfriend blinked slowly and nodded.

"We can't do this. You're drunk."

A slight pause. "Okay."

Yifan drank in the sight of Joonmyeon topless, saving the image for later, and handed Joonmyeon back his shirt. He got up and threw him a pair of sweats that would inevitably drown him but look adorable at the same time. 

"Let's go to sleep," Yifan said, trying to think of anything that would make the problem in his pants go away. Joonmyeon nodded but still looked a bit confused as he crawled into his bed, and Yifan got under the covers with Joonmyeon. 

"Do you...want me?" Joonmyeon asked as Yifan wrapped his arms around his small body, holding him close enough to feel his breath fan across his breath. 

"You have no idea," Yifan responded. It was enough for Joonmyeon, but he explained further. "But I want to wait. Your first time has to be special, it _has_ to. Not when you're tipsy, not with a guy you've only known for a few weeks. I have to give you what I didn't have."

"You're the best," Joonmyeon mumbled happily into Yifan's chest. Yifan kissed the top of his head. 

"Only for you, baby."


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im,,, SO sorry its been so long :(( but i hope you all enjoy anyways <3

The next morning, Joonmyeon woke up feeling completely disgusting. The only consolation to this hangover was rising next to Yifan, held tightly in his big arms all night. Joonmyeon breathed a sigh of relief, Yifan's warmth dissipating his headache (just a little). 

Slowly, they rose and ate breakfast together, and Yifan promised to drive Joonmyeon home. In Yifan's bathroom mirror Joonmyeon tried to make himself look more presentable to his parents, but his eyes looked dead and his bed head wouldn't go away, not to mention the hickies dotting his neck. He buttoned up his jacket all the way and prayed his parents wouldn't want to talk before he could take a shower and hide in his room. 

The motorcycle ride home revitalized Joonmyeon a little bit, but not enough to make him back to normal. As soon as it stopped his headache came back. 

"I feel so bad," Joonmyeon mumbled while hugging Yifan. He kissed the top of Joonmyeon's head, holding him close. 

"That's the price of a night of fun, baby." Joonmyeon pouted. "Did you have a good time at least?"

Joonmyeon managed a smile. "I had the best time. But now I have to do homework."

Yifan chuckled at him, amazed by how much his boyfriend cared about school. Who does homework hungover? He quickly kissed Joonmyeon's lips. 

"Bye bye," Joonmyeon said sadly, waving to Yifan as he ran across the block to his home. He looked back and saw Yifan zoom away, smiling at how handsome he was before opening the door to his house. 

"Hello!" Joonmyeon said when he got inside. He was met with silence and he made his way to the living room, where his parents were sitting on the pure white couch and looking up at him expectantly. Immediately, a wave of nervousness washed over him. They never sat like this unless he was in trouble. 

"Hello honey," his mother said in a cutting but worried voice. 

"Son," his father followed. Joonmyeon's eyes grew wider and his breathing became faster and faster. He almost never got in trouble with his parents, so when he did it was quite scary. 

"Last night Kyungsoo's mother called. She told me that Kyungsoo forgot his toothbrush and pajamas at your house. Now, I was very confused, because I thought you were staying at Kyungsoo's house. We tried calling you but you didn't pick up the phone." Joonmyeon's jaw dropped but his mother just continued. "Honey, we were so worried about you."

Joonmyeon cursed himself internally. His phone had died about halfway through the night, and he felt terrible about making his parents nervous. 

His father sighed. "Look, Joonmyeon, we're not angry with you. We know all about the whole soulmate thing, the pull towards each other, how you probably wanted to spend a night with her. We know teenagers have those urges, and we aren't mad about it. I just wish you could talk to me about it."

"I'm sure she's a lovely girl. We probably even know her parents," his mother added. 

"We just want to know where you were. And we want to talk about it with you. Meeting your soulmate is a big deal, especially because of how young you are," his father spoke. 

If Joonmyeon was anxious before, he was full on panicking at this point. He was incredible grateful that his parents were understanding of this, but would they be understanding of Yifan? He couldn't be sure. They'd assumed that Joonmyeon was straight (he hadn't ever given them a reason not to believe that) and that he'd ended up with a wealthy girl. Someone just like them. It was _terrifying_. 

"Honey, don't be nervous. We want to hear about her! We promise we won't be mad," his mother said, rubbing his arm comfortingly. 

"I bet she's beautiful," his father added, and that was the last straw. With his face in his hands, he ran away from his parents and upstairs to his room. 

Joonmyeon had been putting this off for as long as he could remember. He had known he was gay since he was a child, but the issue had never been brought up with his parents. He watched all of his friends come out and be accepted by their parents, and Joonmyeon was so scared his parents wouldn't react in the same way. They were good people and good parents, but they could be so strict and uptight that Joonmyeon didn't know what to think. 

He cried into his pillowcase, terrified for what was to happen. At this point, he had to tell them the truth. But what if they didn't approve? What if they made Joonmyeon never see Yifan again? He would physically and mentally die, and not just because of the soulmate side effects. 

After Joonmyeon had calmed down a little bit, he heard a gentle knock on his door. 

"Come in," he said tiredly; the exhaustion of emotional turmoil just piling on top of his hangover. His mother sat on the bed next to Joonmyeon, wordlessly rubbing his back. 

"He's....he's not like us," Joonmyeon said quietly. He heard his mother suck in a breath and the hand on his back stopped moving. After a few moments, she rubbed his back once again and released a loud breath. 

"What do you mean?" She asked. 

"He lives on the west side."

She thought for a moment. "If you love him, then we will accept him. As long as he treats you right."

Joonmyeon bit his lip, trying to hold back tears, but happy tears this time. He reached over and hugged her tightly, everything finally bursting out at the seams: he cried into her shoulder like he did as a boy. 

"I-I just didn't know if you guys were okay with me being-" He started. 

"Of course we're okay with it honey. We just want you to be yourself. I will say I was a bit surprised at first, but all we want is for you to be happy." She held her son close and they stayed like that for a long time, a weight finally off of Joonmyeon's shoulders, one he didn't even realize was there. 

Eventually, she pulled away and smiled at Joonmyeon affectionately. "I'm going to go back downstairs to talk over this with your father. Come down when you're ready. I've prepared pasta for dinner tonight!" She said excitedly.

Joonmyeon smiled at her. "I will," he answered, and she left the room. 

He laid back on his bed, relief washing over his body. How wonderful was his life? He didn't have to hide anything any more. After fifteen minutes, making sure he wouldn't cry any more, he made his way back downstairs to the living room where his mother and father were talking in hushed voices. 

"Dinner is ready!" His mother said excitedly as Joonmyeon approached, and they made their way to the dining room. Dinner was beautifully laid out, and it smelled delicious. 

"Thanks mom."

"Of course."

"Joonmyeon, you have to tell me about this soulmate of yours," his father said in an excited voice. Joonmyeon blushed; there was nothing he loved more than talking about Yifan. 

"His name is Yifan," he said, unable to hide a smile, "He's a senior, and he's really tall and handsome. He's really nice too, and he drives me to beautiful places on his motorcycle. He's just....he's the best."

His parents smiled at him lovingly. "It seems like he's really good to you," his mother said. 

"He seems like a nice guy. When are we going to meet him?" His father asked. 

"Dad! We only met two weeks ago!" Joonmyeon whined. 

"He's clearly a big part of your life, we just want to make sure he's good to you." 

"Fine mom, I'll ask when he's free."

"And what were you doing with him last night? I know teenage hormones can be hard to resist, but you're still a bit too young to be doing-" His father began. 

"No no no! Dad! We just went to our friends concert! I mean, I crashed at his house after but we were super tired so we fell asleep right away," Joonmyeon explained hurriedly. His mother and father shared a look. 

"Okay honey, if you're sure," she said in a suspicious voice. 

"I'm sure," Joonmyeon insisted. 

"Which of your friends are in a band?" She asked. 

"Oh yeah, I'm friends with Yifan's friends now. One of them is the bassist in a band," Joonmyeon explained. 

"Oh, for the school? I didn't know they had a concert..."

Joonmyeon chuckled. "No mom, he's in a real band. They play rock music," he explained. His parents shared yet another slightly concerned but mostly excited look. 

"Honey, we're so glad you're branching out of your shell and making all different friends. You can always tell us these things. We're so proud of you."

~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday practices used to be the highlight of Jongin's week. A full day of just running around and playing his favorite sport in the sun with all his friends was typically a good time. But now that the weather was turning cold, and his teammates were no longer his friends, the whole thing just seemed like a hassle. 

Jongin was grateful for the break they received halfway through the day, where he could escape from the judgmental glares and rude comments from the other jocks and just be alone. He was in a great mood; his night with Kyungsoo had been amazing, and he didn't want it to drop from being with these cruel guys for so long. 

He snuck behind the bleachers to eat, about to call Kyungsoo to chat with him to fill the time, when a small tap on his shoulder made him turn around. It was Chanyeol, looking uncharacteristically nervous, the dark rims around his eyes that hadn't gone away for two weeks prevalent on his face. 

"C-can I talk to you? In private?"

His voice was shaky; it was all too weird at Jongin was scared. This might've been some ploy, thought up by the other football guys to beat the shit out of him away from the coach's prying eyes, but Chanyeol's tone and expression made Jongin think otherwise. 

"Okay." He was too curious to turn him down and anyways, out of all the guys Chanyeol had been the most decent to him; not saying or doing anything mean and even sticking up for him every so often.

The two of them walked up to the parking lot and got into Chanyeol's car. He didn't start it though. 

"I didn't want any of the other guys to hear," he explained. Jongin nodded, getting more and more curious and scared by the minute. He opened his lunch as Chanyeol sighed, collecting his thoughts. 

"Your soulmate is a boy, right?" Chanyeol asked, unable to look Jongin in the eyes. 

"Yeah, so?"

He had no idea where this was going. Chanyeol didn't speak for a long time, as if he was gathering the courage to. 

"M....m-mine is too," he said, a huge sigh rolling off his lips afterward. Jongin's mouth fell open and he dropped his sandwich on to his lap. 

"Wait, what?" He wasn't sure if he'd heard correctly. 

"My soulmate is a boy too," Chanyeol said quietly. 

"Who is it?" Jongin asked quietly, not quite sure of what to say. 

"You know Byun Baekhyun, the junior?"

"I do," Jongin answered, and Chanyeol just nodded.

Suddenly, Baekhyun's stressed out appearance and attitude whenever the group brought up soulmates at lunch made sense. Jongin had watched Chanyeol treat Baekhyun like shit the first month of school, and he couldn't imagine the feelings both of them felt in that moment. 

"Please don't tell anyone, okay? Not even your soulmate because I know he's friends with Baekhyun and Baekhyun hasn't told anyone yet either...I just really needed to talk to someone about it, okay? Someone who gets it because I'm literally all alone. The team is getting suspicious, Baekhyun hates me, for understandable reasons, his friends would never accept me because I was and still am such a horrible person, and I know the rest of the school thinks I'm gross. And I get it, I am gross, I'm disgusting, but I have no one." 

Jongin could feel the pain radiating off of Chanyeol's body. He was tall and bulky but in that moment Chanyeol looked almost as small as Kyungsoo. Jongin felt so bad, he _knew_ how it felt to be gay on a sports team and he understood every emotion Chanyeol was feeling. 

"I don't hate you," Jongin said, rubbing Chanyeol's back. "You were a douche before but honestly, you've been the nicest person on the football team. It's been helpful having you there. So you're doing better and that's important."

"I-I really needed to hear that. Thank you," Chanyeol said haggardly. He _still_ couldn't look Jongin in the eye and it broke Jongin's heart. He was probably the first person Chanyeol had ever told about his true sexuality. 

"Do you like Baekhyun?" Jongin asked. Chanyeol sighed and Jongin could see his expression soften. 

"Jongin, I love him." There was silence for a few moments. "I try so hard to treat him right. But he's still angry with me, for reasons that are completely valid. In fact, I would be worried if he just outright forgave me. It still hurts me though, deeply, when he gives in and accepts my love, only to realize what he's doing and pull away. But that's the price I have to pay for my actions. I'm lucky that I get to see him at all."

Jongin could see the hurt and love he was experiencing all over his face, and Jongin thanked the universe that his situation wasn't nearly as complicated. 

"He's my everything. The only fucking thing getting me through this is the thought that I'll be able to see him for fifteen minutes after practice every day. It fucking hurts. And weekends are so awful, because he won't come to see me and I don't want to pressure him too much but I literally feel _ill_ and I only cave in at three am and drive down to see him and we make out but there's always a sense of how...this is the only place we can be together. Three am in my shitty car. And I hate it. But he's fucking worth it. Just to see his pretty face, or maybe brush his cheek or hold his hand briefly if he'll let me. It hurts, but it's enough. It's enough because it's him. I hate that I'm the one who has made him so unhappy recently because when he smiles, my heart does this fucking _thing_ and it's....fuck, I don't know," Chanyeol trailed off. Jongin listened intently, but still didn't know what to say. 

Chanyeol chuckled. "Enough about me. I honestly didn't ask you here just to vent. How's your soulmate? You probably wanna brag about him." 

Jongin immediately started to grin. "His name is Kyungsoo. He's perfect. You've probably seen him around, he's Baekhyun's tiny friend with the big owl eyes. He can be really stubborn and he gets frustrated easily but it's quite cute, to be honest. We hung out all last night and we talked for hours. I mean, now he's grounded because he told his parents he would be sleeping over at his friends and he got caught, but both of us agreed it was worth it. We even had our first kiss with each other," Jongin said, unable to hide his excitement. Chanyeol even managed to smile. 

"Did he tell his parents about you guys?" Chanyeol asked. 

"Yeah, they've known he was gay since last year. And they didn't care that we were together, just that he lied to his parents and slept over at my house."

"And your parents?" 

"I've been out to them since seventh grade. I told them about Kyungsoo the day we realized. They don't know he spent the night at my house though," Jongin said with a sneaky smile. Chanyeol kept his smile on his face but his eyes looked dead for reasons Jongin couldn't decipher. 

"It's good to hear that someone is doing well..."

"One day, things will be different. Gay rights are becoming more and more common throughout the country. Yes, we're the ones who have to suffer, but I have a feeling that by the time I'm done with high school things will be different. We have to suffer now but the next generations will be alright, if that's any consolation to you," Jongin said. 

"And Baekhyun is worth it. All of it, all of the suffering," Chanyeol added. Jongin sighed and smiled. 

"Kyungsoo is worth it to me too." Suddenly, he grinned. "Oh! One day when Baekhyun tells his friends and they forgive you for your former dickery we should go on a double date! You and Baekhyun, me and Kyungsoo."

Chanyeol smiled with someone other than Baekhyun, for the first time in so long. "That actually sounds really fun." He turned to look at the clock. "Shit, we only have fifteen minutes to eat."The two boys scarfed down their massive amounts of food, like only two male football players could as they chatted about football plays and the parties they'd been skipping out on because they were too 'hetero'. They ran back down to the field, just in time for the second half of practice together. 

"Oh, were you two having sex in there?" One of their teammates teased. 

"You don't even know what sex is you fucking virgin," Chanyeol yelled to him in response. The whole team laughed at him and Chanyeol and Jongin shared a smile. 

"It's nice to have a friend again," Chanyeol mumbled before the coach blew his loud whistle. 


	18. Chapter 18

"I can't believe you got me grounded!" Kyungsoo said to Jongin as soon as he leaned against his locker first thing Monday morning. 

"Come on Soo, you agreed to it as much as I did. And I don't even get a good morning?"

Kyungsoo just slammed his locker shut and rolled his eyes. "Good morning."

He threw Jongin a dirty look, but Jongin just smiled at him. "Can I walk you to class?" 

"Of course." He couldn't help but look at Jongin with affection in his eyes before forcing his gaze away. He put his books in his back and he and Jongin started walking down the hall. 

The chemicals in Kyungsoo's mind were begging him to reach out and touch Jongin, so he was incredibly grateful when Jongin trailed his hand down Kyungsoo's wrist and interlaced their fingers together. Kyungsoo avoided his eyes but smiled at the ground, squeezing his hand for reassurance. He darted a quick look at Jongin to see he was reacting the same way; a simple touch driving both of them crazy. Kyungsoo couldn't be more happy that Jongin thought he was cool enough to show off in front of the entire school, even if he would get shit from the football team later. 

When they reached Kyungsoo's classroom Jongin let his hand go, wiping it on his pants because they were both kind of sweaty from nerves. Kyungsoo did the same and he leaned against the lockers beside the classroom door. The two of them looked at each other awkwardly, unsure of what to do, but suddenly Jongin leaned forward and captured Kyungsoo's lips in a quick kiss. 

Kyungsoo felt the sparks flow through him and all of his morning sleepiness and Monday blues were gone. He smiled brightly as Jongin pulled away, unable to stop himself. 

"I'll see you at lunch," Jongin said, beaming as well. Kyungsoo waved and entered his class. 

"See you then." He watched as Jongin walked away, and how two of his teammates shared whispers behind him, clouding his happy heart. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"We still have not picked a theme for the dance," Joonmyeon said with utmost frustration. Ever since he and Jongin had got together, dance committee meetings had only gotten worse. Kyungsoo could almost feel the tension between Jongin and his former friends now that Jongin had come out. He started sitting next to Kyungsoo at meetings and was almost completely silent. Even those not involved at all could feel it. 

"I still think night under the wet pussy is a good idea," Jungkook piped up. "But I know _some_ people in this room might prefer night under the hard dick." Haechan cheered and he and Jungkook shared a high five. 

"That's....really gross," Jongin mumbled. 

"The meeting is over!" The secretary cheered. Joonmyeon practically ran out of the room, but Kyungsoo waited for Jongin to pack up. Since their rides home would be ready in half an hour, they would wait together. 

Kyungsoo looked over at Haechan and Jungkook. Their usual douchebag demeanors were gone and replaced by what they really were: little nervous freshmen. Kyungsoo watched as they approached Jongin and tapped him on the shoulder. He glared at them and they almost faltered, but Jungkook still spoke up. 

"Bro....can we talk to you?" Jongin looked scared momentarily, glancing at Kyungsoo. He gave his soulmate an encouraging nod and Jongin turned back to his teammates. 

"Sure," he answered, and the three freshmen moved into the hall. 

Kyungsoo followed them out, watching them just in case they tried to hurt Jongin. But they looked nervous rather than aggressive, and it made Kyungsoo feel more at ease. 

"Bro....we've been dicks to you," Haechan said. 

"Yeah man, we've just been following the upper classmen in bullying you...but you're a lot nicer than them, actually," Jungkook added. 

"Yeah....we miss you, bro. We don't even care if you like dick or whatever. You and your boyfriend are pretty cute together," Haechan spoke. Jongin blushed at the compliment, and the fact that he and Kyungsoo weren't even officially boyfriends yet. 

"We're really sorry for being mean to you. We're really fuckin' sorry."

"We are."

"Anyways, if I liked dick, I'd probably want to fuck Kyungsoo's tight asshole too," Jungkook said lovingly.

"Aww, you guys are so gross," Jongin responded in a somehow affectionate way. The three of them all shared a hug, awkwardly breaking apart after just a few seconds. 

"No homo," Haechan mumbled. "I mean," he spoke louder, "Yes homo. Homo is okay." Jongin suppressed a laugh. 

"It's good to have you back," Jungkook said. 

"I did miss having you guys as friends," Jongin admitted. 

"What are you doing now?" Haechan asked. 

"Me and Kyungsoo are going to hang out before our rides come," he responded. 

"Have a good time bro. We should hang out some time," Jungkook said. Jongin nodded and waved, the three of them parting ways. 

"We won't let those fuckers talk shit about you any more! We've got your back!" Haechan yelled to him. 

"Thanks bro!" Jongin yelled back, walking over to where Kyungsoo was. 

"That was the most unexpected move of the century," Kyungsoo said once Jongin's friends were gone. 

"Hmm. I guess people aren't as horrible as I thought they were," Jongin responded, grabbing his boyfriend's hand and walking to the curb where they'd always spend their time. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After school, Minseok dropped Jongdae and Yixing off at Yixing's house. He was going to pick Yixing up later, for some sort of music festival, and drop Jongdae back home, and he was grateful for the ride. 

Jongdae finally understood what Yixing was talking about when he spoke of Minseok's car. He and Yixing were tucked in between the band equipment in the back seat, with Luhan riding shot gun. The cymbals on the drum kit clanged with every brake, and Minseok was the worst driver Jongdae had ever encoutered, so there were a lot of brakes. Yixing seemed as serene as always, leaning on an amp and holding a guitar still, but Jongdae was a nervous wreck. He was glad to be able to hang out at Yixing's and get a ride back home, but this filthy loud car gave him anxiety. 

Luhan was nibbling on Minseok's ear with his seat belt unbuckled, and Jongdae could see his hand reaching across the cup holders and moving around. Jongdae had no idea what he was doing, and he didn't _want_ to know. 

"You wanna suck my cock baby?" Minseok mumbled to Luhan. 

"We are still back here!" Jongdae yelled to the front. "Minseok, you're not exactly a good driver and I don't think a mouth on your dick would do anything to fix that." Minseok groaned and Luhan moved off of him. 

"You're such a party pooper Jongdae," he whined. 

"It's probably for the best; he's right about the driving thing," Luhan responded. 

"Fuck you!" Minseok cried. 

"You will, as soon as we're not in a moving car," Luhan responded just as Minseok pulled up outside Yixing's house. It was in the same neighborhood as Jongdae's but on opposite ends. 

"Thanks for the ride!" Yixing said as he got out of Minseok's car. 

"Thanks for not killing us!" Jongdae added. 

"My pleasure," Minseok answered as soon as they left the car and drove off. Yixing grabbed Jongdae's hand and opened the door to his house, leading him to his room. 

His house looked almost identical to Jongdae's in terms of structure, but Yixing's room was a lot different. While Jongdae's room was bare, with the exception of a few pictures of friends, Yixing's room was practically wallpapered with posters of his favorite artists and bands, pictures of beautiful nature scenes, and psychadelic tapestries and art. It smelled like incense and weed and it was kind of dark. Jongdae felt like he was in another world. 

"Your room is so cool."

Yixing smiled and sat on the floor, and Jongdae sat down next to him. 

"Thanks." He reached over into a drawer at the bottom of his cabinet, digging through his clothes before pulling out a box that _reeked_ of marijuana. "Do you want to smoke?" He pulled out a pipe, a baggie of weed, and all kinds equipment that Jongdae had no idea what they were for. 

"Sure." He'd always been a bit curious, and Yixing seemed to like it a lot. Yixing would make sure he was doing it right and didn't do too much. "I've never done it before though, so can you teach me how?"

"Of course! I love smoking people out. How do you think all my friends started smoking?"

Jongdae smiled, kind of nervous but definitely excited. "When did you first start?" 

"Camp, the summer before high school," Yixing explained as he set up. "All of the other guys at camp were annoying and gross, kind of like the jocks at our school. But the counselors were really fucking cool. They loved nature and hiking and good music. They thought I was cool too and since I was only one or two years younger than them they invited me after hours to smoke with them. It was a great summer." 

"Watch me," he said once everything was ready, as if Jongdae could do anything else. He put the end of the pipe in his mouth and plugged his delicate fingers over the holes on the side. Yixing grabbed a lighter and lit the bowl, sucking in at the same time. After quite a while he pulled the pipe out of his mouth and exhaled, smoke filling the room. Jongdae felt a spike in his abdomen just from watching his soulmate smoke. Jongdae shook his head and looked at the ground when Yixing looked back at him. 

"What?" Yixing asked softly. 

"You looked really good doing that." Yixing giggled and Jongdae couldn't tell if the weed was getting to him or if he was just always like that, giggly and adorable. 

"Your turn." Yixing passed the pipe to Jongdae and he just stared at it. "Put that end in your mouth," Yixing said softly, pointing to the skinnier end. Jongdae did as he was told, and put his fingers over the holes on the side like Yixing had done. "Perfect! Now I'm going to light the end. Just suck in while I do it and try to swallow the smoke."

Jongdae nodded and Yixing lit the end. Jongdae sucked in as much as he could and even swallowed a bit, but he immediately ended up coughing. Yixing handed him a glass of water and smiled. 

"Good job!"

"Thanks," Jongdae responded hoarsely after gulping down almost all of the water. Yixing giggled at him. 

"The coughing will stop eventually."

He took the pipe back from Jongdae and the two shared the bowl until it was all gone, and Jongdae felt his body slowly relax. 

"My eyes are warm," he said, smiling uncontrollably and feeling how hot his eyes were with his fingers. 

"I think that's enough for now," Yixing answered, putting all his stuff away and stretching out on the floor. Jongdae followed, laying down, and Yixing snuggled up against him. 

Jongdae's body felt warm and light and he couldn't quite comprehend what was going on. The sides of his vision turned sort of dark but it wasn't scary, in fact it was quite relaxing. Touching Yixing made the sparks run through his body, but somehow they felt almost _liquid_ , flowing through his veins. They were quiet, just listening to each other's breathing, but two of them were far from bored. Every tickle of Yixing's breath against his neck, every slight vibration of Yixing's hand on his stomach, every brush of Yixing's hair on Jongdae's cheek was so intense and electrifying that Jongdae felt happy beyond words. 

"I really like this," Jongdae said, laughing uncontrollably. Yixing started laughing too, rolling around on his carpet, for reasons neither of them could explain. 

"I love smoking. It's my favorite. After you of course." 

Jongdae just hummed, smiling and nuzzling his nose against Yixing's. 

"That tickles," Yixing mumbled, starting to laugh again. He stopped after a minute, laying back down next to Jongdae. 

"You know you can't rely on this stuff. But it's a good way to connect back with yourself. And mother earth. You know?" 

Jongdae sighed contentedly. "I get it now." He turned back to Yixing and looked him in the eyes. "I'm madly in love with you, you know," he said, completely out of the blue. 

"Me too," Yixing responded, as easily as breathing. Jongdae chuckled. 

"How? You're a once in a lifetime kind of person. You're special." 

"You're that way for me," Yixing answered. 

"I don't think you understand..." Jongdae said quietly, trailing off. Yixing shook his head and flipped over so he was laying on top of Jongdae. 

"I am in love with you and everything that you are," he said, looking deep into Jongdae's hooded, red-rimmed eyes. Jongdae wrapped his hand around the back of Yixing's neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. 

If Jongdae had thought that cuddling with Yixing was intense, this was beyond. The soulmate electricity already made Yixing's lips against him feel insane, but combined with being high it was almost too much. The kiss was languid and lazy but still overwhelming as Yixing's mouth fell open. Jongdae followed suit, the couple sliding their tongues together on Yixing's floor, numb fingers dancing along their young, beautiful bodies. 

Yixing pulled away slowly, a trail of spit connecting their lips, and as Jongdae looked Yixing over he knew he had to mark him as his somehow. Wordlessly, he left chaste kisses along Yixing's jawline before moving to his neck, sucking a few marks that left pretty bruises on Yixing's pale, glowing neck. The small noises and little breaths Yixing released were music to Jongdae's ears, leaving him gripping Yixing's waist tighter, harder. 

When he pulled away, Yixing's half shut, red eyes were even glassier than before. He took his thick lower lip between his lip and bit, staring down at Jongdae with the perfect combination of lust, love, and a drug induced haze. 

"I'm hungry," he mumbled. Jongdae stared back up at him, his brain not quite registering his words until a few seconds later. He laughed a bit and smiled, rubbing Yixing's cheek with his hand. 

"Me too." The boys suppressed their giggles until they couldn't any more, laughing their hearts out. Yixing tried to stand up, not once but three times, until he finally managed to get up to grab some snacks. 

"What do you want?" He asked with a lazy smile. 

"Cookies." He started laughing, unable to stop himself, as Yixing fell back down next to him and handed him a bag of chocolate chip cookies. Jongdae tore open the bag messily, cookies spilling all over the floor, but he couldn't care less and just ate them anyways. 

They were all gone within seconds, and he noticed Yixing had ate an entire bag as well. 

"I didn't think munchies were real," he mumbled. 

"Fuck yeah they are," Yixing said softly and he leaned in to kiss Jongdae deeply. When they pulled away, he kept his face just inches from Jongdae's. 

"Did you really mean what you said? About being in love with me?" 

"I did. I meant it. Do you think it's too soon to say?"

Yixing shook his head slowly. "Not when it's you," he said, and he kissed Jongdae once again. They fell back down onto the floor, not feeling a thing, stretching out as they opened mouth kissed. Jongdae reached over to grab Yixing's ass, and he moaned free of inhibitions. 

Yixing pulled away, panting. 

"Are you a virgin?" He asked softly. Nervousness bubbled in Jongdae's stomach. 

"Yeah," Jongdae responded as casually as he could, "You?"

Yixing thought for a moment. "No, not technically. But I like to consider myself a virgin, because I've never had sex with someone I loved before. And to me that's what sex is all about." Jongdae nodded at him, all of the sudden too nervous to kiss. 

"Let's not have sex now. We should talk about it more. When we're sober." Jongdae breathed a sigh of relief. The very _idea_ of sex made him nervous. 

"Thanks," Jongdae responded, the nervousness fading away, love filling in the empty space.. Yixing kissed him again and it was just so easy. 

"What time is it?" Jongdae mumbled. Yixing pulled out his phone and groaned. 

"Minseok and Luhan are coming back soon. Plus your curfew is almost up." 

"I can't talk to my parents; I'm too high," Jongdae whined. Yixing passed him some eye drops and stood up. 

"Come on, let's get going." Jongdae used the eye drops and put them on Yixing's desk, gathering his things and following Yixing out the door. 

When he got outside, Yixing grabbed onto his arm and rested his head against Jongdae's shoulder. Jongdae grinned as Minseok pulled up in front of Yixing's place. 

"Let's go motherfuckers," Minseok said, and Jongdae and Yixing piled in the back. 

" _Fuck_ you guys reek of weed," Luhan said as soon as they stepped inside. Jongdae and Yixing just giggled, unable to stop themselves. Luhan pulled some febreze out of the glove compartment and tossed it into the backseat. Yixing sprayed himself and Jongdae down. 

"I don't want you getting in trouble, Jongdae," Minseok said. 

"But I am trouble," Jongdae responded, followed by non-stop laughter from himself and Yixing. Minseok and Luhan just shared a look as they pulled up in front of Jongdae's house. 

"Please try and sober up," Luhan said. 

"Love you," Yixing said as Jongdae put on his jacket. 

"I love you too," Jongdae answered Yixing. 

"I'll do my best," Jongdae yelled back to Luhan. He walked into his house, avoided his parents, collapsed onto his bed, and fell into a deep sleep filled with the weirdest dreams he'd ever had. 


	19. Chapter 19

It was a Tuesday evening when Joonmyeon was staring out the window. Yifan had agreed to come over for dinner at meet Joonmyeon's parents that night, and Joonmyeon was beyond excited. He wanted his parents to see how lovely Yifan was, and maybe even trust him enough to extend his curfew a bit. 

Joonmyeon's phone rang, blaring his ringtone dedicated to Yifan, and he picked up right away. 

"Fan?"

"Um, hey." He sounded uncharacteristically nervous. "So, um, I just pulled up outside your house." Joonmyeon darted back to the window and saw Yifan on his motorcycle, talking into the phone. "But, um, I kinda wanna talk to you before I come inside."

"Okay, I'll come out and meet you." responded. He left the house without his parents noticing and ran across the street to where Yifan was. "Hey Fan!"

Joonmyeon pecked Yifan's lips and looked him over. "You look so handsome." 

"Do I look put together enough?" His hair was pushed back and he was wearing a blazer plus nice pants. 

"You look great." Joonmyeon grinned brightly, but Yifan cracked his knuckles and looked around uncomfortably. "Are you nervous?"

Yifan nodded and sighed. "Oh my god Joonmyeon they're going to hate me, I have no hobbies and my grades are shit and I don't have any money..." Joonmyeon reached to squeeze Yifan's ridiculously large hand.

"They won't be like that, I promise. They told me that as you long as you treated me well, they would like you. Just be respectful and gracious and that's it." J

Yifan held his hand back and looked around. "I know, I know, it's just...they're going to hate me, I swear, and then I won't be able to see you any more, and then my life will be over."

"Stop! You're psyching yourself out. It's gonna be great. My mom made her famous lobster pasta."

"I've never even had lobster!"

"Well now you get to try it. Come on, my parents are waiting for you." Yifan sighed and parked his motorcycle, letting himself be led to Joonmyeon's front door. 

He rang the doorbell and Joonmyeon's mother immediately answered, smiling at the pair. 

"Hello! Joonmyeon, when did you get out here? It's nice to meet you!" She said, holding out her hand. Yifan released Joonmyeon's hand to shake hers as Joonmyeon's father approached. He shook Yifan's hand too and they all entered the house. 

Yifan's draw dropped as soon as he walked inside. Pure white walls, crown molding, everything just looked _expensive._

"Joonmyeon, why don't you give him a tour around the house while I finishing prepping dinner?" His mother asked. 

"Sure!" He excitedly grabbed Yifan's hand and leading him around the ground floor. 

"So here's the living room." He pointed to a room with a gigantic TV. "And there's the kitchen and the dining room. The library, gym, main office are down there, and all the cars are in the basement." Yifan swallowed loudly and nodded. Joonmyeon led Yifan up a large staircase. 

"That's my parents room, and the guest bedrooms are down the hall, and over here is my room!" Joonmyeon pushed open the door, and the couple stepped inside. 

The room was gigantic, with a full desk, TV, and computer in the corner. Two doors were left half open, showing a large closet and private bathroom, and he had a gigantic four poster bed. 

"Wow..."

"Isn't it nice?"

"Joonmyeon! Yifan! Dinner is ready!" Joonmyeon grabbed Yifan's hand and the two walked downstairs into the dining room. The table was set with fancy plates and utensils, and Yifan felt intimidated already. 

"This looks delicious," Yifan said, looking over the pasta and the multitudes of forks laid before him suspiciously. He watched Joonmyeon to see which fork he'd chose, and picked up the same one. 

"This is very good, ma'am," Yifan said uncomfortably, staring intently at his plate. He'd never used the word ma'am in his life, but felt it was appropriate for this situation. 

"It was my pleasure," Joonmyeon's mother answered. 

Although the meal was awkward at first, Yifan actually ended up having a decent time. Joonmyeon's parents, although very stiff, were generally nice people and didn't seem to cast any judgement on him. They didn't have much to talk about, since Yifan didn't seem to have any interests that Joonmyeon's parents could relate to, but altogether it was still pleasant. Anyways, the lobster was really good. 

After they finished eating, Joonmyeon's father checked his watch and smiled. "It's seven o'clock now. Yifan can stay until eight if he'd like to." 

"Really?" Joonmyeon said excitedly. At any other moment, Yifan would've laughed at his ridiculous curfew, but Joonmyeon's curfew was usually at six so Yifan was excited too. 

"Yes. Now go along before you run out of time," Joonmyeon's mother said with a smile. They looked at each other, smiled, and went back upstairs to Joonmyeon's room. 

Joonmyeon flopped onto his bed happily. 

"I'm so glad that went well," Joonmyeon said. Yifan sat down next to him and exhaled. 

"God I am too. Man, I'm so relieved. I really thought they were going to straight up murder me." 

"Why?"

"I dunno. I guess I psyched myself out. But that went surprisingly well."

"They saw that you're a good guy. And that's all they needed to know."

Yifan brushed some of Joonmyeon's hair behind his ear and leaned in close, pressing their lips together in a way that went from soft to passionate very quickly. Joonmyeon grabbed onto Yifan's strong arms, kissing him back with full force. Yifan tilted his head and held the back of Joonmyeon's neck, opening his mouth. Joonmyeon did the same and leaned in closer, electricity overwhelming every one of his senses. 

Yifan pulled away panting and they locked eyes. Joonmyeon could only hold his gaze for a moment before blushing and looking away. Yifan ran his fingers through Joonmyeon's hair with his big hands, comforting Joonmyeon and calming him down. 

"This is a really dumb question..." Joonmyeon started, pouting slightly. 

"I'm sure it isn't," Yifan responded softly, all of the nerves from earlier gone. He could freak out all he wanted, but when he needed to be strong for Joonmyeon he would be without question. 

"I know that I like you a whole lot, and you like me a whole lot..." Joonmyeon said, and Yifan nodded encouragingly, "But sometimes I can be kind of dumb....so....are you my boyfriend yet?" Joonmyeon asked, a nervous whiny tone in his voice. Yifan chuckled with relief. He'd been nervous that Joonmyeon was asking about something more serious. 

"Of course! We're definitely boyfriends baby." Yifan said with a big smile. Joonmyeon's blush from earlier returned, and he smiled back as Yifan softly kissed his cheek. 

"Even though it's a stupid petty thing I'm really glad," Joonmyeon mumbled. 

"Come here." Yifan held out his arms, and Joonmyeon quickly snuggled into them. 

"I've never had a boyfriend before so the little things are important to me, even if it's dumb," Joonmyeon explained. 

"I know." Yifan kissed Joonmyeon's forehead. "It's important to me too. Because there's nothing more important to me than being good to you and making you happy." Joonmyeon buried his face in Yifan's broad shoulder, suppressing a squeal. 

Joonmyeon tilted his head around and kissed Yifan once again, unable to resist him when he was so close. Yifan sighed contentedly and kissed back, leaning in towards him. Joonmyeon laid down on his big bed and Yifan climbed on top of him, their lips not leaving each other's the whole way down. Yifan was grateful for how big the bed was; it was much easier to make out in with its size. 

Yifan's hands trailed along Joonmyeon's waist as Joonmyeon hands curled in his short black hair. Yifan wanted nothing more than to take off his thick blazer or even something more, but he was absolutely terrified of Joonmyeon's parents walking in on them and he wouldn't dare do anything more than this. 

When they pulled away Joonmyeon's eyes were hooded and glassy, his face showing how desperate and needy he was. Every day it was getting harder and harder for Yifan to resist, but he couldn't and wouldn't dare. Joonmyeon was so young, and they had only known each other for a little while, and it _had_ to be special. 

Yifan turned to check the clock on Joonmyeon's bedside table. 

"Shit, Joonmyeon, I gotta go." Yifan sat up and tried to fix his hair. Joonmyeon pouted but sat up too, flattening Yifan's hair with his small hands. Once he looked decent Joonmyeon walked Yifan to the front door of their house, fixing his blazer and smiling up at him. 

"Goodbye! Thank you for having me!" Yifan called to Joonmyeon's parents. 

"It was our pleasure," Joonmyeon's father responded. Yifan and Joonmyeon shared a quick kiss before Yifan left on his motorcycle, his heart yearning for Joonmyeon more every day. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After school, Baekhyun quickly checked to see if anyone was around. When Baekhyun saw no one, he dove into the passenger seat of Chanyeol's car. Chanyeol smiled at him immediately but looked away self consciously. 

"Hello beautiful," he said in his deep voice that Baekhyun was finding harder and harder to resist. He handed Baekhyun his box of curly fries, as usual, and Baekhyun ate them. 

"Hey." He was curt, avoiding Chanyeol's eyes and staring out the window, trying not to remember that night just a few weeks ago when he almost let himself fall in love. 

"Um..." Chanyeol started, and Baekhyun knew something was coming. "Do you have anyone to pick up today?"

Baekhyun shook his head. "Jongdae drove us to school today."

Chanyeol nodded, rain pattering hard outside the car. 

"Well....my parents don't come home until night time tonight...so do you wanna hang out there? Like not in my car? I'm not saying this to try to get you to sleep with me; I'm just saying that my parents wouldn't ask questions," Chanyeol said, words jumbling together, and Baekhyun could see his knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel.

This was a big step for the two of them, one Baekhyun could easily turn down, out of fear or anger or both. If Baekhyun said no, Chanyeol would accept it without question, but Baekhyun knew he would be hurt. He couldn't deny that denying Chanyeol was getting harder, and the idea of Chanyeol being hurt was becoming more horrifying than appealing. Anyways, he was curious about what Chanyeol's room looked like, and he could always pretend he didn't want to spend more time with Chanyeol after this. 

"Sure." Chanyeol turned to him with a look of surprise on his face, and his answer shocked even Baekhyun himself. He tried to force himself to ignore the grin that spread over Chanyeol face as he turned on the engine of his car and drove out of school grounds. 

"I have a confession to make." Baekhyun turned to him. "I told Jongin about us. I just really needed someone to talk to about all of this, you know? You and him are the only people I can even consider as something close to friends."

"It's fine, as long as he doesn't tell Kyungsoo," Baekhyun responded without emotion. He understood why Chanyeol needed to talk to someone; Baekhyun really wished he could tell his friends too. But they would think he was weak for giving in to Chanyeol so easily, so he could never. 

When they got to Chanyeol's house, they went up to his room right away. The wall was adorned with pictures of famous football players and hot girls in bikinis, and he had a shelf full of trophies. 

"Why do you have those?" Baekhyun said, laughing as he pointed at the posters, remembering that Chanyeol had admitted he wasn't attracted to women. 

"My dad keeps buying them for me," Chanyeol responded with a serious expression. Baekhyun frowned and stopped laughing, not quite sure what to say. Chanyeol pulled out his laptop and opened it. 

"Wanna watch a movie?" 

"That sounds nice, actually." Chanyeol sat on his bed and Baekhyun hesitantly sat down next to him, keeping a wide space in between them. 

"You pick." Baekhyun grabbed the computer and put on a movie. "What's this?"

"Mamma Mia," Baekhyun answered. Chanyeol looked at him with a confused expression. 

"It's one of my favorite musicals," Baekhyun explained. 

"Oh," Chanyeol chuckled. "I've never seen a musical before."

"What?" Baekhyun responded, pausing the movie and turning towards Chanyeol with a wide eyed expression. "Why not?"

"My parents never let me watch them," Chanyeol explained. 

"Why the fuck would your parents not let you watch musicals?" Baekhyun exclaimed. Chanyeol sighed. 

"It's..." He sighed again. "My parents have issues."

"Clearly," Baekhyun responded, unpausing the movie. 

Fifteen minutes in, Baekhyun looked over to see Chanyeol watching the movie with a big smile. Chanyeol noticed and turned back towards Baekhyun with a big smile on his face. 

"It's so fun! They're just singing at random places! For no reason! I love it."

"You're cute," Baekhyun mumbled before he'd even realized what he'd said. He immediately frowned and scooted away from Chanyeol, staring pointedly at the screen. When he thought Chanyeol wasn't looking Baekhyun spared a glance at him. He was smiling and blushing and looking over at Baekhyun every few seconds, and it really was pretty cute. _Ugh._

Halfway through the movie, Baekhyun noticed that he and Chanyeol were almost pressed right up against each other. Baekhyun was about to curse out Chanyeol when he realized he had actually scooted over just as much as Chanyeol had. Had he _really_ subconsciously moved closer to Chanyeol?

He sighed to himself. Fuck these chemicals.

The sparks were radiating from Chanyeol's body, more intensely than usual because they hadn't touched each other in forever, and it was so distracting that Baekhyun could barely even pay attention to his favorite movie. 

Chanyeol started fake yawning and raising his arms and Baekhyun rolled his eyes because he _knew_ what was coming, but honestly he was kind of cold so he didn't want to stop it. Chanyeol's arm wrapped around Baekhyun's shoulders and it was so gentle, so innocent, that Baekhyun couldn't be upset. It was nice to touch Chanyeol again too; the sparks felt very intense but his body didn't ache as much any more. 

Baekhyun bit his lower lip, deciding whether or not to give Chanyeol the satisfaction of touching him. But for the first time, the joy of seeing Chanyeol smile outweighed the spite of inflicting pain on him, so Baekhyun sighed and rested his head on Chanyeol's shoulder. It was so comfy, almost like a pillow, and Baekhyun felt so safe and warm cuddling with him. He hated it. He hated that Chanyeol made him feel this way. He hated that a month ago, Baekhyun would have been filled with fear in a situation like this. But what could he do? 

The movie ended and Chanyeol shut his laptop with his free hand, rubbing Baekhyun's shoulder with the others. Baekhyun sighed and snuggled deeper into his shoulder. 

"This feels real," Baekhyun said, and Chanyeol knew exactly what he meant. 

"Do you mind?"

This was it. This was the moment where Baekhyun had to decide whether or not he wanted Chanyeol in his life for real or not. If he was going to continue keeping Chanyeol at arms length, a way that was satisfying for neither of them, or if he was going to start the process of forgiveness. Obviously he couldn't just forgive Chanyeol right away. But he could start, and he would accept how Chanyeol was trying to prove himself. 

Baekhyun shook his head. "I don't mind." Baekhyun watched the wave of joy and relief and guilt wash over Chanyeol's face. 

"You're not my boyfriend by any means. But I don't hate you, and I'm not going to force myself to hate you any more," Baekhyun explained. 

"And that's more than I'll ever deserve." They sat in silence like that on Chanyeol's bed, contemplating themselves and each other and their entire love affair. 

"Can you really play guitar?" Baekhyun finally said, eyes landing on the instrument in the corner of the room.

Chanyeol nodded. "I thought I told you that." Baekhyun still couldn't quite believe it. 

"Do you want me to play for you?" Chanyeol asked. Slowly, Baekhyun nodded, and Chanyeol got up to grab it. He spent a few minutes tuning and looked up at Baekhyun. 

"What do you want me to play?"

"What do you know?" 

"I play a lot of Beatles..."

"I love the Beatles!" Chanyeol smiled, thought for a minute, and began to play _And I Love Her._

Throughout, Chanyeol was just so shy, looking between Baekhyun and the guitar, searching his face for approval. Baekhyun could only stare on in a daze, Chanyeol's deep voice soothing him from the very depths of his soul. 

When Chanyeol was over he immediately shoved his guitar away. Baekhyun was silent, still watching Chanyeol, his expression unreadable. 

"Do you play for everyone you're trying to seduce?" Baekhyun asked after a few minutes. Chanyeol shook his head. 

"Honestly, you're the only person I've ever tried to seduce."

"But what about all the girls you've bragged about having sex with?"

Chanyeol shrugged. "I'm a virgin, Baek."

Baekhyun stared at him in shock. Since sophomore year, Chanyeol had made it known to the entire school that he got _mad pussy_ and _nobody_ had slept with as many girls as him. But Chanyeol didn't seem like he was lying to Baekhyun, and Baekhyun guessed it was just all part of Chanyeol's act. 

"But...did you like the song?" Chanyeol asked, insecurity laced in his tone. Baekhyun rolled his eyes. 

"Of course I fucking liked it! I liked it too much." Chanyeol breathed a sigh of relief. 

"I thought you didn't like it," Chanyeol mumbled, looking down at the messy sheets. 

"It was wonderful."

"I'm really glad, because I honestly haven't played for anyone since the summer before high school." Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol's bedsheets before reaching over and kissing him hard on the lips. Chanyeol was surprised for a moment before kissing Baekhyun back, matching and exceeding his passion. All of the tightness and stress in Baekhyun's body washed away, and he knew his body was telling him to do this more often. 

But he pulled away quickly, eyes avoiding Chanyeol. 

"Can you take me home?" It was just too much. 

"Of course." Baekhyun gathered his things and they walked down to Chanyeol's car. They hopped in and Chanyeol drove, Baekhyun noticing he knew the route like the back of his hand. 

"I'm a virgin too," Baekhyun admitted. He had judged Chanyeol for talking up his sex game, but honestly Baekhyun had done the same with his drama group. "Just don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold," he added. He couldn't believe he'd admitted something to Chanyeol that he hadn't even admitted to his friends, but hey, the whole soulmate thing was too confusing anyways. 

"Of course," Chanyeol answered as he pulled up outside of Baekhyun's house. Baekhyun gathered his things and turned back towards Chanyeol, unsure of what to say. 

"We're gonna be okay," Chanyeol spoke softly. That was all Baekhyun needed to hear. 


	20. Chapter 20

After the dance committee meeting, Kyungsoo and Jongin waited on the curb for their rides home, as usual. Kyungsoo was grateful that Jongdae was driving back to school to pick him up so they could hang out after, because Baekhyun hadn't driven to school that day. 

"I'm worried about him," Kyungsoo admitted, looking up at Jongin. 

"Who?"

"Baekhyun." 

Jongin looked away awkwardly, wanting to keep Chanyeol's secret under wraps. He'd noticed how Baekhyun had looked pained every day through lunch, although he was getting better. He seemed much more happy than usual at lunch that day. 

"That sucks. I know he's your best friend," Jongin said. 

Kyungsoo sighed. "Me, Jongdae, and Joonmyeon are worried. We asked him what was wrong in the car this morning but he insisted everything was fine. I just don't know what to do."

Jongin wrapped his arm around Kyungsoo's shoulders protectively, and Kyungsoo snuggled in to him. It was amazing how Jongin's simple touches made him feel so safe and happy. 

Jongin was happier too, and Kyungsoo knew why. Kyungsoo admitting he liked Jongin was a big deal for the freshman and made him much more confident, plus having his football friends back was really nice for him. If only Kyungsoo could figure out what was wrong with Baekhyun, then his life would be perfect. 

Kyungsoo looked up at Jongin from his place on his shoulder and his skin flushed pink. Despite having shared a bed with him, being in such close proximity to Jongin still made him incredibly nervous. Butterflies and sparks fluttered through his body and clouded his mind, every inch of his being calling out for Jongin's lips on his. 

And his wishes were soon granted, Jongin kissing Kyungsoo softly, like he was afraid he would break him if he pushed too hard. Kyungsoo appreciated how caring and gentle Jongin was; it was one of the reasons he found himself falling harder and harder for the tall freshman every day. 

Kyungsoo kissed Jongin back softly, their plush lips colliding and moving as if their bodies were only made for kissing each other. Jongin's hands cupped Kyungsoo's cheeks and he felt so special, like his and his alone. It was the way Jongin made him feel whenever they held hands at school, like Jongin was proud to be with Kyungsoo and wanted everyone to know. Kyungsoo had always hated the idea of PDA but now that he was with someone, his opinion had changed (he would still murder Jongin if he tried to make out with him in the hallways though).

Another reason Kyungsoo had been hesitant about romance his whole life was because of his low self esteem. He always felt uglier than all of his friends. Even though they were all fairly short, he was the shortest, and by far the heaviest. Joonmyeon was rich, Jongdae had those cheekbones, and Baekhyun was obviously the most talented kid in school, but Kyungsoo had nothing. 

Jongin was tall, strong, and incredibly handsome, and even though Kyungsoo felt lucky to be his, he always felt a bit insecure. He was terrified that people whispered about the two of them, talking about how Jongin was way out of Kyungsoo's league and how Jongin deserved someone hotter, someone less cranky and more interesting, someone... better. 

These thoughts forced Kyungsoo to pull away from Jongin and look at the concrete ground. 

"What's wrong?" Jongin caressing Kyungsoo's soft cheek with his thumb. 

"I'm sick of being ugly," Kyungsoo whined. Jongin gave him a confused look, then laughed. 

"What do you mean?"

"I meant exactly what I said."

"What the fuck?" 

Kyungsoo looked up in surprise. "Huh?"

"What the fuck," Jongin repeated. "Where is this coming from? I mean, fuck, I had a huge crush on you from the moment I saw you. And even my straight friends think you're attractive. You're smart, cute, adorable, gorgeous, and you don't put up with anyone's bullshit, except maybe mine."

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and sighed. He just couldn't see it. "I'm just short, and pudgy, and ugly-"

"Stop," Jongin whined, pulling Kyungsoo onto his lap. It was the closest they'd ever been and it made Kyungsoo blush, and normally he'd object to them getting so up close and personal at school, but nobody was around and Kyungsoo was feeling insecure anyways. Jongin kissed his cheek and held him close. 

"I've never liked anybody as much as you, Kyungsoo."

"Me too..."

"When you say such bad stuff about yourself...it makes me want to cry, you know? Because it hurts me that you're hurting, because to me you're perfect," Jongin said softly. Kyungsoo hid his blushing face from Jongin by burying it in the crook of his neck. 

"Do you really think so?" Kyungsoo mumbled.

Jongin nodded, suddenly shy. "Of course I do. I can only hope you like me half as much as a like you. Because I really like you."

"I really like you too. You make me feel special." It was the corniest thing Kyungsoo had ever heard himself say in his life, and he couldn't even look Jongin in the eye after he'd said it. But he felt a big smile come onto Jongin's face, and he held Kyungsoo just a little bit tighter. 

"That's my ride," Jongin mumbled as a red car pulled up in front of them. He pecked Kyungsoo on his cute button nose and hopped into the car, noticing the front seat was taken by a small figure that he thought he recognized. 

"Nini, I hope you don't mind if I drive Baek home first. He lives pretty close to us," Chanyeol explained. Jongin stared intently at the pair. Baekhyun looked kind of nervous but more contented than he had in weeks, Chanyeol's hand affectionately resting on his thigh. He was smiling, presumably from something Chanyeol had said earlier, and a million questions filled Jongin's head. 

"Hey Jongin," Baekhyun spoke, his tone anxious but maybe, a bit excited. 

"Hey." 

"Let's go," Chanyeol said, driving off campus ground. 

The ride was mostly silent, with Chanyeol and Baekhyun occasionally mumbling affectionately to each other. Jongin knew that Chanyeol wasn't lying when he'd said he was in love with Baekhyun earlier. He could read it all over his face; how crazy he was for the over dramatic theatre kid with a heart of gold. And Jongin could see Baekhyun falling for him too, despite all of the hurt he'd endured. 

When they pulled up outside Baekhyun's place, Baekhyun quickly gathered his things with a soft smile. 

"Goodbye beautiful," Chanyeol said to Baekhyun, and Jongin almost laughed with how strange the sweet words sounded coming from Chanyeol's lips. He hadn't even thought Chanyeol was capable of being loving towards anyone, but then again, he figured nobody knew much about the real Chanyeol at all. 

"Bye," Baekhyun answered, letting Chanyeol kiss him on the cheek before heading out the door. Chanyeol waited for Baekhyun to get safely inside before driving in the direction of Jongin's. 

"Isn't he wonderful?" Chanyeol's voice was full of pride and longing, and it was really strange to see him like this. "We were kind of nervous. Because we haven't been with each other in front of other people yet. But it went well."

"It did," Jongin responded, still in a sort of shock after what he'd just witnessed.

"We could do this more often."

"I think...that's a good idea." Just then Chanyeol stopped outside Jongin's house, and they waved goodbye. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After school, Jongdae and Yixing decided to go to Yixing's house again. 

"I can't smoke today because I have to drive myself home," Jongdae said.

Yixing nodded. "Okay. We can have sober fun!" Jongdae spared a glance at his soulmate and smiled; _god_ was Yixing adorable.

His mother started calling and Jongdae picked up immediately, not wanting to get into trouble. 

"Hey mom!" 

"Hi sweetie, how was school?"

"The same," Jongdae answered. 

"When will you be home?"

"Maybe in the early evening. Before dinner."

"Ooh! What are you up to?"

"I'm hanging out with my- um- Yixing," Jongdae stuttered out. 

"Okay sweetie, I'll see you later then! Have a good time!" 

"I will. Goodbye!" 

"Goodbye!" His mother answered.

Jongdae hung up and looked back at Yixing, whose typical serene expression was interrupted by a small pout. 

"What's up?" Jongdae asked. 

"You can call me your boyfriend, you know."

"I can?!" He wasn't sure quite how to broach the 'are we or aren't we' question, but he'd wanted to go official for some time now. 

"Yeah Dae." Yixing kissed Jongdae on the cheek as Jongdae pulled into Yixing's driveway. They went inside and collapsed on Yixing's bed. 

Yixing watched as Jongdae whipped out his phone, changing Yixing's name to "The Boyfriend" in his contacts. Yixing laughed, curling up against Jongdae and pecking him gently on the lips. 

"That's all?" Jongdae mumbled. He rolled on top of Yixing and gave him a smirk. "I'm not letting you get away with that."

Jongdae leaned down and kissed Yixing, roughly but still with love. Yixing kissed back, fingers tangling through Jongdae's brown hair, pressing their chests together.

The junior pulled away quickly to look over his boyfriend. "Mine." 

"Mine," Jongdae repeated, closer to Yixing's ear, and it made the senior shudder.

"You're so good," Yixing muttered breathlessly.

Jongdae chuckled. "I honestly have no idea what I'm doing."

"It doesn't seem that way..."

Jongdae brushed Yixing's messed up hair out of his eyes and smiled. Jongdae adjusted himself to be more comfortable and Yixing just looked up at him.

"We should probably talk about the sex thing," Yixing said. Nerves spiked in Jongdae's stomach and all the sudden he felt any sort of desire going away. 

"Sure." He tried to hide the anxiety in his voice and stopped straddling Yixing. Yixing sat down next to him and, seeing his obvious nerves, grabbed his hand. Jongdae interlaced their fingers and looked over at his boyfriend. 

"So, I'm a virgin, you're not," Jongdae said.

Yixing nodded. "Does sex make you nervous?"

Jongdae nodded back and looked away. "I dunno why. I guess I'm afraid I'll fuck up or that it will suck. I mean, none of my close friends have done it, even if Baekhyun says he has he's a god damn liar."

"I'm totally down to wait a while. I've had sex before but I'm not super experienced either, if that makes you feel any better. And of course you're insecure about it. Sex is a weird topic. Anyways, it's kinda funny that Baekhyun lies about being a virgin."

Jongdae chuckled. "I know! It's ridiculous. I know it's just because he wants to seem cool, since he was bullied so badly in middle school and felt like such a loser, but he really doesn't have to lie to his closest friends. Anyways, I'm kind of worried about him. Clearly he's met his soulmate, and it's someone that he has a bad history with or else he wouldn't be so torn up about it or at least he would've told us. He's not the type to hide this thing from us unless he really feels like we'll judge him."

"Do you have any idea who it is?" Yixing asked, leaning against the wall. Jongdae moved next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. 

"I have a few guesses, actually. It might be Seokjin."

"Wait, the senior whose been dating Amber since the eighth grade?"

"He hasn't been showing up to school lately, and I heard Amber say he's been pretty distant. Plus, I've thought he was gay for a while." Yixing looked over at Jongdae. 

"That actually seems plausible. Why wouldn't Baekhyun tell you though?" 

"He's friends with Amber. And obviously it would break her heart," Jongdae explained. Yixing nodded. 

"And what's your other guess?" 

"You're going to think I'm crazy," Jongdae said, "But it might also be Park Chanyeol."

"No way..."

"Both of them got weird right around the time the whole soulmate thing dropped. Like, on the same day. It was odd. And that very day he just completely randomly bullying Baekhyun, which he'd been doing for years beforehand. And both of them became quiet and withdrawn, which neither of them really are. He also hasn't gone public with his soulmate, which is an odd move for the quarterback. It just kind of makes sense."

"I don't know, that seems a bit far fetched," Yixing spoke. 

"You're probably right. I'm just wondering," They rested in a comfortable silence for a few moments. 

"Stop trying to change the subject," Yixing said. "We were talking about sex." Jongdae sighed and rolled his eyes. 

"Do you want to have sex with me? We don't have to," Yixing added. 

"I do. Just not yet. I dunno. You know I love you, and I feel comfortable with you, but I'm not sure if I feel comfortable with myself yet, you know?"

"I understand," Yixing responded, reaching over to kiss the top of Jongdae's hair. 

Jongdae cupped his cheek and kissed him softly once again, and Yixing smiled against his lips. 

"I love you," he mumbled, and Jongdae melted a little bit. 

"I love you too. Wait...isn't your birthday soon?"

Yixing nodded. "Yeah, it's on Saturday."

"What do you want for your birthday?" 

"I want you to sing with me. While I play guitar."

"That's it?" Yixing nodded. "I love your singing voice." Jongdae smiled and kissed Yixing's cheek. 

"You're too lovely."

Yixing smiled at him. "I'm having a kickback Saturday too."

"Am I invited?" Jongdae asked. Yixing gave him a look. 

"Of course you are. You're number one on the guest list. Everyone who sits with us at lunch is invited, plus Luhan," Yixing explained. "We're gonna hot box my room."

"What's that?"

"Hot boxing is when you close all the doors and windows in a room and smoke a bunch of weed. So you and your friends are trapped in the room with all of the smoke so you get the high from smoking and the second hand. And everyone just gets...really fucking high."

That sounds amazing, but how will everyone get home?"

"Oh," Yixing responded with a chuckle. "I didn't really think about that. Usually Minseok would just drive everyone home even though he was super high."

"Really? He's already a terrible driver!" Jongdae cried. Yixing just shrugged. 

"Our whole group was kind of a mess until we met our soulmates. We all attend a lot more school now and don't drink as much." Jongdae held Yixing close. 

"I'm glad I can at least help you in some sort of way, because you've completely changed my life for the better." 

Yixing smiled and pecked Jongdae's lips. Jongdae's phone suddenly buzzed, and he sighed as he read the message. 

"My mom said dinner will be ready soon." He gathered his things and Yixing walked him to the door. 

"See you tomorrow love!" Yixing called, leaning against the doorframe and watching Jongdae go. Jongdae could only think about the way the nickname 'love' rolled off Yixing's lips the whole ride home. 


	21. Chapter 21

After rehearsals, Baekhyun dove into the front seat of Chanyeol's car. For the first time, however, he did it with a smile. He had been so much happier ever since he stopped forcing himself to hate Chanyeol (and hate himself too). 

"For you, gorgeous," Chanyeol mumbled, handing Baekhyun a box of curly fries. 

Baekhyun smiled and devoured them immediately. "How did you know these were my favorite?" 

"I-um-," Chanyeol stammered, his face quickly turning pink. 

"Anyways, you're so cheesy! Always calling me beautiful and gorgeous..."

"Well it's true. And I have to make up for everything that happened...anyways, it's nice to see you smile again."

Baekhyun looked up at him, his mind racing. He thought and thought and thought, and he couldn't even remember a time he'd seen Chanyeol smile genuinely since elementary school. It broke his heart but he pushed the thought away, trying to appreciate the little time he got with Chanyeol. 

Baekhyun turned to his side to look at Chanyeol, and Chanyeol did the same. He was suddenly overwhelmed by how handsome the boy looked: right after his post-practice shower, with dripping wet hair, a tank top showing off his muscular arms, and eyes only for Baekhyun. He laughed in his head at all the poor girls lusting after Chanyeol. Chanyeol was _his,_ no matter what, no matter how many times Baekhyun had pushed him away. He couldn't even believe how far they had come. 

"How was practice?" Baekhyun asked. Chanyeol's eyes widened a bit, and Baekhyun realized it was the first time he'd ever really asked Chanyeol about himself. 

"It was fine. I have Jongin and his freshman friends to talk to now. Nobody on the team knows about us but Jongin, but I still feel a lot more comfortable now that I have some people who I know would accept me. Even though I'm not out."

"Would you ever want to be out?" Baekhyun asked before he could stop himself. Baekhyun had been out since before he'd even known what gay was, and he'd never kept his relationships a secret before, so this situation was quite strange for him. Once Baekhyun's friends knew, and accepted Chanyeol at least a little bit, then he wouldn't want to keep their relationship a secret any more. But he knew it wouldn't be the same with Chanyeol, and he braced himself for exactly what he didn't want to hear. 

Chanyeol didn't speak for a long time, but sighed and began after many minutes. "Yeah. One day. I mean, nobody knows that I'm....I'm, um...." Chanyeol said, stumbling over his words and grimacing. _God, he couldn't even say the word gay aloud._ Baekhyun couldn't help but wonder who had damaged him so much that he couldn't even the speak the word. 

"Nobody knows that I'm different," he eventually said. "And it would be scary. But I would want to do it. For you."

He rubbed Baekhyun's arm and looked into his eyes, wide from fear but also love. 

"We wouldn't have to do it for a long time," Baekhyun assured him. 

"I couldn't do it for a long time. A very, very long time. But one day. I promise." 

Baekhyun let that wash over him. Chanyeol spent a lifetime of cultivating an image, and all it would take to shatter that would be a little bit of PDA in the school halls. Clearly it was a huge deal for Chanyeol, and him even thinking about being out for Baekhyun showed how much he cared. 

Baekhyun reached across and kissed Chanyeol hard, fingers tangling in his wet hair. Chanyeol's arms wrapped around Baekhyun protectively, like he was the most precious thing in the world, like he never wanted to let him go. 

He pulled away, an adorable shade of pink dusting his cheeks, and Chanyeol could only watch him as he alternated between bashfully looking at Chanyeol and staring out the window. Chanyeol knew that Baekhyun didn't fully trust him yet, so kissing was hard when it wasn't three am, but they were getting there and Chanyeol couldn't wish for anything more. 

"We're going to be okay," Chanyeol said, repeating the same thing he'd said to Baekhyun a few days before. 

"I think so too."

Chanyeol's heart swelled with love and pride and infatuation for the boy in front of him. Baekhyun turned to him and smiled. He was smiling because of Chanyeol, and Chanyeol could barely hold back tears because he thought this day would never come. He didn't deserve it, obviously, but he had secretly hoped and dreamed that one day, Baekhyun would grow to love him the way Chanyeol loved Baekhyun. He wasn't there yet, and there was still much Chanyeol had to do to prove himself, much he had to say to fix their relationship, but they were going to get there. 

"I think Jongin is waiting for me," Chanyeol mumbled, tucking a piece of Baekhyun's hair behind his ear. 

"Then let's pick him up." Baekhyun smiled to himself as Chanyeol's hand rested on Baekhyun's thigh, and they drove off. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Kyungsoo's student council meeting ended early that day, so he decided to wait for Jongin at the locker room. When he walked inside, Kyungsoo almost threw up. The room smelled disgusting, and all of the jocks were yelling at each other and slapping each other on the ass with towels. 

"Hating gay people my ass," Kyungsoo mumbled, pulling out his phone to try and drown out the noise of the gross jocks. 

"Jongin, your cute little soulmate is here!" Kyungsoo heard Jungkook yell. Kyungsoo blushed and stared pointedly at his phone. 

"You sucking his dick or nah?" Haechan whispered to Kyungsoo as he waited for Jongin to come over to him. 

Kyungsoo looked up at Haechan, giving him one of his signature death glares. 

"Nah," he said so aggressively that Haechan gave him a terrified look and scampered off immediately. Jongin approached him and smiled, rubbing his hair with a towel. 

"Oh, you are here," Jongin spoke. "I thought Jungkook was joking." He was shirtless, his body dripping from the shower, and Kyungsoo had to grab the wall to stay steady. He knew Jongin was good looking, but he didn't know he was THIS incredible. Tan skin, a sculpted chest, and that _smile_ ; Kyungsoo thought he was going to die.

This was his soulmate? How was he even a freshman? 

"Y-yeah," Kyungsoo responded, breathing faster and faster as he tried to tear his eyes away from Jongin's body but found he couldn't. He'd shared a bed with _that?_

Jungkook started to make slurping noises behind them, and Jongin slapped him right in the dick with his towel. 

"Shut up," Jongin whined as Jungkook keeled over. He turned back to Kyungsoo and smiled. 

"Let me get dressed, then we can hang out for a little while." Kyungsoo could only nod, watching Jongin go with wide eyes. 

"Let's go!" He said excitedly once he had clothes on, holding out his hand for Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo looked away and grabbed it, the two of them walking to their signature spot: the curb where they'd wait for their rides. 

When they arrived and sat down, Jongin started fidgeting nervously. It was kind of adorable, but it also worried Kyungsoo. 

"Are you alright?" 

"Oh, yeah. I just-um- have something to ask you."

Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows as Jongin rummaged through his bag, pulling something out and hiding it from Kyungsoo. 

"So, um...I know you and I spend a lot of time together, even though you're grounded..."

"Only three more days of that!" Kyungsoo interrupted excitedly. 

"Thank god...anyways, we spend a lot of time together, and everyone at school pretty much knows we're dating...but we still haven't made it, um, official yet...so um..." Jongin moved his hands from behind him and handed Kyungsoo a rose, his cheeks turning pink. "Will you be my boyfriend?" 

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the smile on his face. "Of course I'll be your boyfriend, dumb ass!" He grinned stupidly but Jongin smiled back the same way. Even though he didn't like the way he looked or acted or pretty much anything about himself, Jongin was obviously crazy for him, and he couldn't help but feel a bit more confident. 

Kyungsoo took the rose and held it. "It smells really good," he mumbled.

"It does! I'm glad I picked this one then. Chanyeol told me red roses were the best."

"What did you say?" Kyungsoo asked, genuinely because he really hadn't heard what Jongin said. 

"Nothing." He shook off the thought and looked up at Kyungsoo. His adorable button nose, his pretty thick lips, his big round eyes, all of Kyungsoo's features made him so adorable in Jongin's eyes. He was completely beautiful and perfect to him, and it broke his heart to think that Kyungsoo didn't feel the same way about himself. 

He reached up to cup Kyungsoo's cheek with his hand, rubbing the soft pale skin. Kyungsoo looked away, blushing tenderly, and Jongin loved just how shy he always got about cheesy romantic things. 

For once, it was Kyungsoo who leaned up to kiss Jongin, what they'd both been waiting for all day. Jongin kissed him passionately and Kyungsoo kissed back the same way. Even though labels didn't matter, they felt how they felt, but being able to call each other boyfriends made everything just that much stronger. 

After they pulled away with a soft smile Kyungsoo randomly checked his phone too, and Jongin looked over his shoulder. 

"Who is 'stupid butt head' with all of the heart emojis next to it?"

"You, of course." Jongin just laughed and kissed Kyungsoo on the cheek.

He saw the time on Kyungsoo's phone and figured Chanyeol would be coming to pick them up soon. "My ride said you could come with us," Jongin said, his arm around Kyungsoo's waist. 

"That would be nice, actually." Baekhyun and Jongdae couldn't drive him home that day, and Kyungsoo didn't want to have to call his mom and ask for her to pick him up. 

The red car that Jongin always rode home in pulled up just after, and Jongin and Kyungsoo hopped in easily. 

"Hey Chanyeol," Jongin said casually. Chanyeol was laughing at something the guy in the passenger seat said, but he turned back to smile at Jongin. 

"Hey Jongin. You must be his soulmate! Hi," Chanyeol said casually, as if nothing was wrong. Kyungsoo stared in shock, utterly confused by what was happening. His eyes trailed up from Chanyeol's hand on the thigh of the boy in the passenger seat up to the rear view mirror, locking eyes with Baekhyun. Both of their eyes widened and the car fell silent, the tension between everyone growing stronger. 

"What?" Kyungsoo said out loud. The laughter in the car, Chanyeol's hand on Baekhyun's thigh, the fact that Baekhyun was hanging out with Chanyeol in the first place, none of it made sense. Until, it hit.

It couldn't be. Baekhyun and Chanyeol couldn't be _soulmates..._ but that seemed to be the only explanation. And judging by the looks on everyone in that car's faces, it appeared that Baekhyun and Chanyeol really were soulmates. 

Chanyeol wordlessly drove out of school grounds, practically barreling down the highway. 

"Slow down, you're going to get us killed," Baekhyun mumbled in away that expressed his annoyance, but was almost _affectionate_ and Kyungsoo was _so_ confused. Chanyeol actually listened to him, slowing down considerably, and Kyungsoo wanted to scream. 

Jongin noticed his anger and confusion and worry and tried to put his hand on Kyungsoo's thigh comfortingly, but Kyungsoo pushed him off. Jongin didn't seem surprised by the whole situation, so clearly he knew. He knew yesterday, when Kyungsoo was telling him how he was worried sick about Baekhyun, and didn't think to even mention it. He was probably sworn to secrecy by Chanyeol, but that didn't change how he felt. 

"Drop me off with Baekhyun," Kyungsoo said. He needed to talk to him in person. 

"Okay," Chanyeol answered, and Kyungsoo felt up more hatred bubble up inside of him.

He had watched Chanyeol destroy his best friend. He could never accept him. 

Chanyeol dropped them off in front of Baekhyun's, and Kyungsoo exited the card without a word. Kyungsoo watch Baekhyun gather his things, squeezing Chanyeol's hand before he left. 

Kyungsoo gave Baekhyun a look of stony silence until Chanyeol's car drove off. 

"Are you two really soulmates?" Kyungsoo said angrily. Baekhyun could only nod and looked down at the pavement in shame. 

"How could not have told us?" Kyungsoo screamed. When Kyungsoo was angry, he was _really_ angry, and Baekhyun was on the brink of tears. Kyungsoo sighed, trying to collect himself. 

"We all have soulmates, Baekhyun," he yelled, more softly though. "We get it! We know how it feels! We could've made this easier! God, we've been so worried about you and we just had _no_ idea what was wrong. We fucking get it! We would not have judged you! Fuck, Baekhyun, do you not trust us enough?" 

"Honestly, Kyungsoo," Baekhyun choked out. "I was so ashamed of myself for letting myself like him." Suddenly, he ran into Kyungsoo's arms, sobbing into his shoulder. Kyungsoo was never good at comforting others, that was always Joonmyeon's job, but he rubbed Baekhyun's back all the same. 

"We get it," Kyungsoo mumbled into his ear. "It's okay. It's hard to resist the soulmate chemicals, it really is." Baekhyun just cried and Kyungsoo let him. Clearly he'd been been bottling up these emotions for weeks. 

"Is he good to you?" Kyungsoo asked softly. Baekhyun nodded. 

"Too good. It just makes it harder." 

"You must be so torn up inside." Reconciling his anger at jocks and being with Jongin was hard enough; he couldn't imagine being forced to do the same thing with your lifetime bully. 

"I tried so hard," Baekhyun said in between sobs. "I tried so hard to resist him. I'd go days without seeing him and I'd get so ill. I just couldn't do it any more. And he's crazy about me. As bad as it is I don't want to see him hurt. I used to, but I don't any more. Even though he hurt me so bad." 

"Do you want to go inside?" Kyungsoo asked. Baekhyun shook his head, pulling away from the hug. 

"I don't want my parents seeing my like this." Kyungsoo nodded in understanding as Baekhyun sat on the curb of his house. Kyungsoo sat down next to him, and Baekhyun rested his head on his best friends shoulder. 

"I'm sorry for not telling you guys. I have been acting pretty weird lately. I was just angry at myself for giving in so easily." 

"It's okay. I'm sorry I freaked out so much. I was just surprised, that's all." 

"I should tell Joonmyeon and Jongdae, right?"

"Only if you feel comfortable." Kyungsoo was surprising even himself; usual he was terrible at solving conflict and being kind to others. Maybe Jongin was helping him for the better; making him a little bit softer. 

"Since when are you so nice?" Baekhyun joked.

"I'm not actually sure." 

"If you don't think it's Jongin then you're an idiot-"

Kyungsoo sighed and rolled his eyes. "I know, I know." 

"Maybe those goddamn jocks aren't as bad as we thought," Baekhyun mumbled. 

"I still hate Chanyeol." 

"I know. I wish I hated him."

"Don't beat yourself up. You literally can't help it." 

"I think I will tell Joonmyeon and Jongdae. Tomorrow. You guys are my best friends and it's not right to keep you guys in the dark. Anyways, it's great to have someone to talk to about it." 

"We will always be there for you, Baek," Kyungsoo responded. Silence again. 

"Don't be mad at Jongin," Baekhyun finally spoke. "Chanyeol's been a good friend to him, and he wanted to protect his secret."

Kyungsoo sighed. "Fine." 

"Baekhyun?" A voice called. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun looked up and saw Baekhyun's mom sticking her head out the window. "You two are going to freeze to death! Come inside," she said, shutting the window harshly. 

Baekhyun sighed. "I've got to practice my lines."

"And I've got studying to do." Baekhyun smiled genuinely, the first time Kyungsoo had seen that smile in a long time. 

"Come on, I'll give you a ride home." They piled in Baekhyun's car, and things finally felt somewhat normal again. 


End file.
